The Ways of Providence

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE By J. Arthur Horne Attorney James Brown stood on the sidewalk of Sixth Avenue and gazed at the half-finished structure which was to be his home. Busy workmen were engaged with hammer and trowel on various parts of the building; while great piles of brick and stone, lumber, and shining slabs of marble were strewn about the grounds indicat- ing the palatial nature of this modern dwelling. While the lawyer stood there enjoying this scene of activity a smile overspread his handsome features. This was the fulfilment of one of his dreams — to have one of the finest homes in the city. Success was perching upon his banner now. In the early years of his struggle he . had prayed for success. It had come slowly at first, but finally by pa- tient effort and the influence of friends he had reached the goal at last. Providence, he concluded, had had nothing to do with it. A man in a dark suit, evidently the architect in charge, came out of the building and joined the lawyer on the sidewalk. "Billings, I have to leave for the coast this afternoon. The Oil Lands case has been called for the first week in October, and I'm not half ready. I will probably be gone all winter." "We'll not be through here before the latter part of April, anyway, Mr. Brown, so you'll likely be back before we finish the interior," replied the architect. "The city department gave us the house number this morning. It is 914." The lawyer took from his pocket a small note book and jotted down the number. "Don't slight anything, Billings, even if it goes a little over the estimate. A man builds only one house like this in a lifetime." And so saying the great lawyer turned and entered his waiting automobile and was driven away. The same morning that this incident occurred another James Brown also stood on the sidewalk in front of his home. He, too, was going away to try his fortune in another state. Thus far suc- cess had not perched upon his banner. No automobile was to take him to the railroad station. No huge retaining fee had been sent him to insure the success of his venture. He was not thinking of the grandeur of his home, but of the sweet-faced, blue-eyed woman who stood in the doorway with a baby in her arms to have a final parting word with her husband ere he left for the mines in Nevada. "Don't take any risks, Jim," she said. "Better a whole skin than taking a chance on your life." "Don't worry, Alice, I'll be back safe and sound, never fear. Kiss Jamie and "Winnie and Ted for me when they come home from

116 IMPROVEMENT ERA school and tell them Daddy expects some little letters to come along with yours." With a wave of his hand he turned and walked briskly away. Alice turned to her household duties with a heavy heart. She loved her husband dearly and missed him when he went away. In their earlier married life she had accompanied him to several of the camps where he worked as an assayer, but since the children were old enough to attend school she had been compelled to stay at home. Jim was a steady worker and having no bad habits they had always had plenty for their needs, and had managed to lay aside a little in the bank with the hopes of some day buying a home of their own. Jim's first letter from Nevada told of a change in his plans. "I've decided to take a lease," he wrote. "There's a fine fellow here named Bill Stauffer who will go with me. The mining company agrees to furnish transportation to the railroad for our ores at the same rate they pay for their own. I see no reason why we shouldn't clean up a bunch of money." Later letters confirmed this hopeful view, and under date of Dec. 4, 1919, he wrote: "We have found some more rich pockets of ore. We have about 15 tons on the dump that runs 160 ounces in silver and 45% lead. At present prices this should bring us nearly $2,000 apiece. As soon as we get 20 or 25 tons we'll make a shipment, and I'll come in with it." The last few words thrilled Alice more than any thought of the money. Two thousand dollars sounded good, but the idea of soon seeing Jim again overshadowed everything else. She sang at her work, and when the children came home from school she took them in her arms one at a time and hugged them with delight. "Papa's coming home soon, children," she told them. The little ones took hold of hands and circled about in high glee singing in their sweet, childish voices, "Daddy's coming home again! Daddy's coming home again!" Then Jamie stood on his head and Ted turned somersaults — all because daddy was coming home. Just before Christmas, however, came the first letter of disap- pointment. "Well, dearie, I guess I can't come home for awhile yet, after all. We're snowed in for the winter. It started snowing Thursday and kept it up until last night. The dugway down to the camp is drifted level with the mountain. We'll have to store our ore in the tunnel until the road clears in the spring. This morning we struck another pocket that looks like it ought to be good for four or five tons. "Christmas will be a bit lonesome, but maybe it'll be the last one I'll have to spend away from home." By spring Jim figured they had nearly $20,000 worth of ore stored in the tunnel. Already the price of silver had begun to decline. A feeling of uncertainty pervaded the mining industry. Every- where the highgrade ores were rushed to the smelter.

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE 117 "The snow is melting rapidly," Jim wrote in March. "We expect to get a wagon through within a week and start our ore to the railroad. Just think, dearie, nearly $10,000 for us. It means a home and maybe a small car. I don't care so much about the car if I can just see you in your own home with a nice bathroom, and a piano for Winnie to take lessons on." Silver continued its downward course and lead began to fol- low. "We can't get the mining company to furnish us a single team to move our ore," he wrote in April. "They're so anxious to get their own ore to the smelter they don't give a hang about us. They keep promising but never do anything. This is terrible. Our ore has shrunk to half its value and still not a pound has been moved. I'm going to strike out for one of the ranches across the valley in the morning and see if I can get a team and wagon." Later he wrote that he had secured the much-needed team for the trifling sum of $10 a day. "Had I known the mining company was going to treat us like this I would have hired this team a month ago. Well, never mind, sweetheart, the ore will still net us several thousand dollars. I guess we are not the only ones who are hard hit by the slump; the mines are closing down all around here." A few days later Alice beheld a blue-coated messenger boy dis- mount from his bicycle in front of her house and come up the walk. With trembling fingers she signed for the telegram and hastened into her bedroom to read it: Lone Pine Mountain, Nevada, May 19, 1920. Mrs. James Brown 914 Sixth East St., City. Jim injured hauling ore. Will reach city four-thirty today. Wm. Stauffer. Alice crushed the telegram in her hands and offered a silent prayer that Jim's injuries would not prove serious. She was nearly wild with uncertainty and dread. Why did telegrams have to be so cruelly brief? If she only knew the extent of his injuries it would not be so bad, but the uncertainty allowed her imagination to run riot, and she pictured him in all sorts of mangled conditions. One thought alone comforted her — she would see him soon again. At this thought she sprang up and began a hasty tidying of the rooms. She put clean sheets on the bed and made up the fire so that everything would be in readiness upon his arrival. As soon as the children came home from school she got them ready and took them with her to the depot, leaving the baby, however, in the care of a neighbor. The first thing that caught her eye when she stepped off the street car at the depot was a white ambulance backed up before the doorway. The telegram had not said anything about providing such a thing for Jim; it must be for someone else. Just the same she felt irresistibly

1 1 8 IMPROVEMENT ERA drawn toward the ambulance and approaching the driver she asked, "Are you waiting for someone coming in on the train?" "Yes, a miner got hurt out in Nevada. He's comin' in on the 4:30." Her heart sank. Poor Jim! How he must be suffering! She turned to the driver with one more question. "Do you happen to know the man's name?" "No, they didn't tell me that. They just said to meet the 4:30 and bring back a miner that got hurt out in Nevada." He must have seen the look of apprehension on her face for he asked kindly, "Was you expectin' somebody sick on this train?" "Yes," she said, "my husband. He was injured hauling ore, but I do not know how badly. I was not expecting this," indicating the ambulance. She had hard work to keep back the tears. The children must not see mother cry. By an effort she controlled herself, and tak- ing a little hand in each of hers they went into the waiting room. When the train pulled in Alice was standing with the children on the platform, and when it came to a stop she eagerly scanned the car exits for sight of her husband. Presently she saw the white- coated driver of the ambulance approach one of the cars and she hurried over to him. A man on a stretcher was being carried down the car steps. One hand dangled limply over the edge of the stretcher, and Alice barely suppressed a cry. She stood beside the injured man as he was lowered to the platform. Yes. it was Jim, his face only half visible beneath the bandages. She almost flung herself on the stretcher. "O Jim, Jim, what has happened? Are you badly hurt?" He smiled wanly, and she tried to take his head in her arms. A groan escaped his lips as her hands went under his head and she quickly withdrew them. "Oh, did I hurt you? Forgive me, forgive me, I hardly know what I'm doing." "It's his back, Mrs. Brown," said a kindly voice. She glanced up into the face of a stalwart man in the garb of a miner. "I'm Bill Stauffer; I guess you've heard of me. Them cuts on his face don't amount to nothin'. You see the rough-lock broke comin' down the steep road; he had to turn the horses up the mountain an' the load tipped over. If it wasn't for his back he'd be fit as any man in a few days." The children began to cry when they saw their father lying there so limp and helpless. The injured man raised his right hand and patted Winnie's dark curls. His voice was low — almost a whisper. "Don't you cry, children, Daddy' 11 be all right pretty soon." This comforted them. Thus strong is the faith of childhood. Not so with Alice; his grave words only added to her grief. The big miner and the chauffeur carried Jim to the waiting ambulance and he was driven away to the hospital. Half an hour later Alice was seated beside her husband's cot in the hospital awaiting the arrival of the doctor. And the next morning's paper which contained among the local

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE 119 items a brief account of Jim Brown's accident had blazoned forth on the front page a picture of the state's noted lawyer James Brown and an accompanying article telling of his success in winning the first of his Oil Land cases in California. We need not follow Jim and Alice throughout the long, hot days of summer while Jim lay in his plaster cast at the hospital, hoping and praying for the return of his health. In a way they were happy days, for not since their honeymoon had they been so much in each other's company. They were lovers once more with four ad- ditional knots binding their hearts together. At last the day came when the cast was removed and Jim once more stood upon his feet free from its hateful pressure. He turned and twisted his body about to make sure that his cure was complete. "Thank God there's no pain now," he said fervently. "Maybe it's all for the best, Jim," Alice returned with shining, tear-stained eyes as she watched him walk about the little room. Prov- idence has queer ways of doing things sometimes, you know." "Yes," he said, and he stopped to look intently into the blue eyes, "Providence did me a good turn when it led me to your father's door, for no man ever had a sweeter wife than you have been to me, dear." Throughout all this trying period Alice's faith and trust in God had never wavered, but now it seemed as if all things conspired together to break her spirit. When Jim left the hospital he entered the great army of unemployed who walked the streets of our cities from the fall of 1920 until the spring of 1922. Mines were closing down or running only part time; stores and factories were cutting their forces; building was almost at a standstill; and gaunt poverty and distress were on every hand. The twelve hundred dollars which Jim had received as his portion of the mining venture was about ex- hausted when his hospital and doctor bills were paid. Still their hearts were brave when they returned to their humble home on Sixth East, and Jim set out early the next morning to try and find employ- ment. The first person he encountered was Joe Sanders, a brother as- sayer. "Still with the King Company, Joe?" Jim asked. "No, they closed down two months ago. Didn't you know?" "I hadn't heard. I've been in the hospital, so I guess I'm not up on the latest news. What are you driving at now?" "Hunting another job," Joe answered. "And you?" "Same thing. Are jobs really that scarce?" "I'll say they are." They wished each other luck and passed on. Jim called in at several assay offices where he was well known and in each of them he found men seeking employment. At first he was not discouraged. He was a good assayer and had never before ex- perienced any difficulty getting a position. As the days wore on, however, the full extent of the mining collapse became apparent.

120 IMPROVEMENT ERA "I guess I'll have to find some other kind of work," he told Alice when he returned after the third day's trial. "There seems to be more assayers than the market requires." Poor Jim! In the next few days he was to learn that there were more men in every line of work than the market required. Night after night, footsore and weary, he dragged his way homeward. Their small savings dwindled rapidly and were finally wiped out. Not once in all this trying period did his brave little wife fail to greet him with a smile and whisper words of encouragement when he left the door. The first work he got was helping a man clean out a store that had just been vacated by a shoe company. For this he received fifty cents. Then he got three days' work helping unload coal at one of the coal yards and was paid a ton of coal, which he was thank- ful to get. His grocer, Mr. Gibson, gave him a job cleaning out the back room and basement of the store and cutting up a pile of boxes into kindling wood. For this work he was given credit for twelve dollars on account. In six weeks he had received in actual cash in hand the total sum of fifty cents. "Things will soon take a turn for the better, I am sure," Alice said when he reviewed these little items to her one evening in No- vember. He was going over his accounts while she sat mending a pair of Ted's trousers. "Did you see Mr. Shultz about that work at the smelter?" "Yes, he's going out in a few days, and if anything turns up he'll let me me know." On December 10 Jim received a note from Mr. Gibson asking him to call at his earliest convenience. "I know what that means," Jim remarked grimly. "It means no more groceries on credit." He was right. When he called to see Mr. Gibson he was told that the store was carrying so many unpaid bills that it would be ruinous to in- crease them. "I'm sorry to have to do this, Brown, but it would soon come to the same thing anyway. The wholesalers will cut me off if I get in much deeper. I will carry your account as it now stands until you can get work, but that is the best I can do." "Mr. Gibson, I appreciate all you have done for me, and I hope I can soon pay you every dollar I owe you." The kind-hearted grocer leaned across the counter and laid a hand on Jim's arm. "I know you do, Brown, and as soon as you get in work again I shall be glad to re-open your account until you draw your first pay." "Thanks, Mr. Gibson." And with that Jim turned and walked out of the store. Life seemed a little less joyous to him as he wended his way homeward. Who would have thought a year ago that today would find him in such a plight? "We still have some flour and coal," Alice said when he re- ported the interview to her, and added, "and a Father above, don't forget that, Jim."

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE 121 He threw his arms about her and held her close. "And the bravest little wife that God ever sent to earth." A few days later a snowstorm netted Jim several dollars clean- ing sidewalks, and on December 21a letter came from Shultz telling him to come out to the smelter and see if he could not get on there, as he had heard some talk of them putting on another man. A dollar was enclosed to pay his fare there and back. The next day Jim was at the plant seeking an interview with Superintendent Maclntyre. For three days he persisted, staying at night with his friend Shultz. On the morning of the twenty-fourth he was informed, rather gruffly, that they would not put on another man be- fore the first of the year, if at all. "We'll keep you in mind and if we need anyone we'll let you know," the foreman said more kindly as he noted the look of pain come into Jim's face at this blow to his hopes. For some time Jim wandered about the plant not caring to meet anyone. His tongue was dry and parched, and he quenched his thirst repeatedly at the little fountain near the furnace-room. At four o'clock he boarded the train for home. He entered the first car he came to, which happened to be the smoker. He had barely sunk down into the seat when he heard a voice behind him say, "Well, Brown, this is providential to find you here." He turned at sound of his name and beheld Superintendent Maclntyre shaking hands with the man in the next seat back of him. He rceognized the man instantly as the great lawyer who had gone to California to plead the famous Oil Land cases. "I don't know whether it was Providence or not that put me on this train, but I'm surely glad to see you, Mac," the lawyer returned laughing. "Same old atheist, eh?" the superintendent rejoined. "Anyway I've a letter here for you from Edith which arrived from Butte this morning. She wanted me to be sure you received it before night." "Hasn't Edith returned from Butte yet?" There was evident dis- appointment not unmixed with annoyance in his tone. "No, she'll be down on the 10:30 tonight. Go ahead and read the letter — read it to me if you like." There was the sound of tearing paper as the envelope was torn open and then Jim heard the following: "Your telegram came as a great surprise. I had just received your letter saying you could not be home before the first of the year. I'm so glad we can spend Christmas together. The kiddies are wild with delight. The house is all ready for us, everything was moved before I left, only I let Mrs. McGregor go home for the holidays. Never mind, I can cook a better Christmas dinner than she can. I can't bear to think of spending Christmas in a hotel, and there won't be room at Will's — Florence and the children are coming down with me — so we'll just have to go to our own home. Jim, it's the grandest thing I ever looked at, even our best pieces of furniture look shabby among

122 IMPROVEMENT ERA such brilliant settings. Oh, I wouldn't miss spending Christmas there for worlds, now that you are going to be with us. "I've made out a list of groceries and some things for the chil- dren's Christmas which I will enclose. If you'll order them sent up to the house we'll have the finest Christmas ever. The house number is 914, don't forget that. Meet us at the train, sure." More rattling of paper and then, "Just look at this list will you Mac, it's as long as your arm." They both laughed heartily. "Trust a woman to think of the details." This from the su- perintendent. To the lone man in the seat ahead all this seemed staged to mock his poverty. "Some men have everything and some nothing," Jim said to himself bitterly. "This fellow will spend his Christmas liter- ally in the lap of luxury, while I have not a penny to take home to my wife and children." A spirit of rebellion arose in his soul at the scurvy trick fate had played him. Alice always credited things to Providence, but this man who revelled in wealth and groceries had no faith in Providence. Perhaps it was simply that some men knew how to make money and others didn't and Providence cared not a whit. This thought was gall to his soul. When their train reached the city, Jim felt too depressed to go home and he wandered about the streets for some time. Loads of good things stared at him from the store windows, and on the streets crowds of people were hurrying along carrying bulging bags and bundles that foretold a happy Christmas on the morrow. He alone of all that vast throng seemed penniless and forsaken. Surely Provi- dence would not pass his family by so cruelly. Just then a paper bag burst in the arms of a woman, scattering potatoes over the sidewalk. She gathered them up hastily. One she missed. Jim picked it up and put it in his pocket. "This will be our Christmas dinner," he said, and laughed bitterly. It grew colder, and he turned his footsteps home- ward. Alice tried to greet him with a smile when he opened the door, but when she saw the drawn look on his face she burst into tears. He put his arm about her and led her to a chair in the kitchen. The children had placed the broom across the backs of two chairs and hanging suspended from it were four stockings of varying lengths. "It wouldn't be so bad for us," Alice sobbed on his shoulder, "we could stand it, but the children — not a thing in the house for their Christmas. Whatever in the world are we going to do, Jim? Do you think God doesn't care?" What could he say? It was the echo of his own thought. He was about to speak when their attention was arrested by a quick step on the back porch and a hurried thump on the door. Jim got up and opened the door. A young fellow in overalls and jumper smeared with flour confronted them. "Is this number 914?" he asked. Jim nodded assent. "We've brought your groceries; where'll we put 'em?"

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE 123 "I didn't order any groceries," Jim answered. "You must have the wrong number." "Ain't your name Brown, James Brown?" the young fellow per- sisted, looking at a paper in his hand. "Yes," Jim answered, puzzled. "This is the place all right. We'll back in." He dashed off into the darkness, and the next moment they heard the chug of a motor. The rear end of a big truck loomed out of the darkness and bumped into the porch. Two men began piling things onto the porch. Sacks of flour, potatoes, and sugar; cases of soap, canned milk, fruit, and vegetables; boxes, bundles, and packages of every descrip- tion, were unceremoniously dumped onto the porch or carried into the kitchen, while the bewildered family stood about in utter amaze- ment. When a pretty Christmas tree appeared, the silence was sud- denly broken by cries and exclamations of delight from the children, and the tree was carried triumphantly into the front room. "Who sent all this?" Jim finally asked one of the men. "I dunno, Mister; Santa Claus, I reckon." The next minute the two men climbed into their truck and rode off into the night. Jim and Alice looked into each other's faces questioningly. Jim was the first to speak. "Who in the world could have sent them?" "It must have been Bill Stauffer," she answered. "He sent a card saying he would see us at Christmas time. You see he had twelve hundred dollars from the lease, the same as we did." Jim shook his head. "No, Alice, the check he sent us was the total received from our ore. I saw a copy of the account while I was out at the smelter. The big-hearted fellow kept not one cent for himself. No, it must have been someone else." Still mystified, they began to look over the things. A box of brilliant-colored trimmings came first into view. These were seized upon by the children and carried into the front room where Jamie was already setting up the tree. Alice next uncovered two beautiful dolls and hastily hid them in her bedroom. Doll carriages, a tricycle, books, games, and toys were quickly hidden away. Candies, nuts, oranges, and apples followed. A turkey she laid on the table. By this time Alice was in a perfect fever of delight. "I just knew the Lord would not forsake us!" she said. But Jim still felt that all was not right. At first he had been stunned by this sudden change from poverty to affluence, but now he began to collect his scattered wits. He went out onto the porch and looked the things over. With a sickening sensation the truth suddenly dawned on him; this was undoubtedly the supply Attorney Brown had ordered for his own home. Someone at the store had blundered. Instead of delivering the things to Sixth Avenue they had been brought to Sixth East. He remembered now the house number the lawyer had read from the letter was 914 — the same as his. An error such as this would probably hot occur in any other city in the United States.

124 IMPROVEMENT ERA "Of course the mistake will be discovered as soon as Attorney Brown reaches his home and finds the things have not been delivered. He'll call the store, and the things will be traced to us. Anyway, I'll have to notify the store. These thnigs are not meant for us at all." Shouts of joyous laughter came to him from the house and pierced his heart like knife thrusts. "My poor, little kiddies!" he exclaimed, "I'm afraid your joy will be short lived." With a groan he sat down on one of the boxes and covered his face with his hands. "And Alice, my dear, sweet, angel wife! It will nearly break her heart when she learns the truth." O God in heaven, avert the blow!" Tears welled up into his eyes, and in the darkness his chin quivered. How long he sat thus he did not know. He was roused by the sound of an automobile stopping in front of the house. He got up and walked over beyond the edge of the building and peered out. In the darkness he made out the figure of a man just stepping from an automobile. "It's all over," he said to himself in a choking voice, "all over." He leaned against the porch post to steady himself for a minute or two, and then went slowly into the house. When he reached the door that opened into the front room he swung it open unnoticed and stopped within the shadow. Just inside the front door, hat in hand, stood Attorney Brown. Ted had evi- dently let him in, for Alice with flushed face and shining eyes was coming out from behind the gayly decorated tree. She stared in astonishment at sight of the unexpected visitor. 'Well, how-do-you- do?" she greeted him cheerily. "I ordered some things sent — sent — ," the lawyer began awk- wardly. Alice advanced toward him. "Are you the one who so generously sent us these things?" she asked in amazement. He winked his eyes a couple of times and ap- peared to swallow something. "A — a — , yes, ma'am." Alice went to him and took his hand in both of hers. "God bless your kind heart," she said fervently, and there were tears in her eyes when she said it. "I don't know who you are, but I know that Providence sent you to us in our time of need. You can- not know what it means to go day after day, month after month with- out employment, never knowing one day what you will have to eat the next. Surely God put it in your heart to do this noble deed." She released his hand, and he shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other. "I'm afraid you are giving me more credit than I deserve," he replied. Then a merry twinkle came into his eyes and he smiled good-humoredly. "I thought I'd just take a run down and see if the things were delivered all right." Jim was struggling to adjust himself to the unexpected turn the case had taken. He advanced into the room extending his hand which the other took in a hearty handshake. "I don't know how to

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE 125 thank you, but I'll repay you as soon as I can get to earning again." The attorney laid his hand on Jim's shoulder. "Now, don't talk about paying me, nor thanking me, either, or you'll spoil it all. This is the first time in my life I've ever been a real Santa Claus." He looked at the children playing about the tree, talking in suppressed excited tones, their little hearts almost bursting with joy. Never had they dreamed of a Christmas like this. The scene evidently touched the heart of the great lawyer, for he took the chair Alice of- fered him and sat for some time gazing at them in silence. "My!" he finally exclaimed, "I wouldn't have missed this for a thousand dol- lars." He arose and turned to Jim. "Let's see, you say you are out of employment, Mr. — Mr. — ." "Brown, the same as yours," Jim answered. The lawyer looked startled for a moment. "Oh — , oh yes, I see. What is your occupation, Mr. Brown?" Jim told him. "Assayer? Good! My brother-in-law is superintend- ent of the smelter." He took a card from his pocket and handed it to Jim. "If you'll call at my office any time after tomorrow I'll give you a letter to him. He'll find a place for you. Well, I must be going. I've a few purchases to make before the stores close." He bowed gracefully to Alice. "Good-night," he said, then sweeping the room with his glance added, "and a Merry Christmas to everyone." "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" chorused after him as he closed the door. The parents looked at each other in silence for a moment, then Alice put her arms around her husband's neck and drew his face down to hers. "Now, will you say the Lord isn't watching over us?" she challenged. And he answered, "I wouldn't dare." While outside Attorney Brown just settling himself in his auto- mobile was saying, "By Jove! this is surely a peculiar experience. Could there be any truth in what that sweet little woman said about Providence bringing this about? I wonder!" And he drove off. Salt Lake City, Utah Rest Awhile "Come ye yourselves apart and rest," Said Christ to me and you, A time of patient resting, dear, For us, and roses too, Will give us chance to grow again And loveliness renew. Hobact Tasmania A. C. A. Dean Hewer

THRILLING EXPERIENCE Of Four "Mormon" Missionaries in the Tokyo Disaster By Ernest B. Woodward, Secretary of the Japan Mission To write what one has actually experienced is often very diffi- cult. In the following account of our experiences I have endeavored to portray as nearly as I can to the readers of the Era, just how we felt, how we were delivered from death and destruction when two thirds of the city of Tokyo was destroyed by fire following the earth- quake of September 1, 1923. My desire is that what I write may be of help to those who shall read it, and that the testimony of my brethren here in Tokyo, myself included, may cause someone to think seriously of the wonders of God. ' 'Earthquake ! Earthquake ! ! " What a horrifying thing to most of us! If you have ever ex- perienced such a thing, you will understand me when I say that they make one feel so small, so insignificant, that you wonder how you ever thought yourself so much! To me earthquakes are not novel, having experienced many since coming to Japan, but experience only seems to teach me fear. Is it a fear of death? In a sense, Yes! Yet in another, No! I don't fear death half so much as I fear being maimed for life. That is why I fear earthquakes so badly! Usually, much the same as the hiss of a rattlesnake, there is some sort of warning before an earthquake, but this time there was no such thing. As from apparently nowhere it came. Into nowhere it went; but what a difference! I was writing letters; had been, all morning. Suddenly without warning, the house gave a terrific lurch! Pictures crashed to the floor, smashing the glass, giving rise to more confusion! The plaster swayed, then breaking loose crashed to the floor! Books, chairs, in fact every- thing which could fall, tumbled to the floor, making it apparent that one should not be inside! By this time the oscillations had increased, until it was next to impossible for one to stand or walk! To remain inside seemed folly. Might not the house collapse? Might not a thousand other unexpected things happen? Apparent safety awaited us outside, but was it safety? Suddenly a crash from outside, as a pile of roof-tile fell to the ground right where we might have been, had we followed our first impulse and rushed out! That was sufficient! We decided to take our chances inside! In readiness we stood by the open door and waited, w,hat seemed an age, while the earth pitched and rolled! The house rattled and creaked! While the din from the earthquake itself was most deafening!

THRILLING EXPERIENCE IN TOKYO DISASTER ' 127 How long we waited none of us know, but it seemed ages! When at last the earth regained itself we went outside! What a sight greeted our eyes! In one corner of the lot, through a small aperture in the fence, the people of the neighborhood were filing in! Their faces blanched, their step uncertain, they came into the lot to look around at what had once been their home! The sight was almost more than one could stand, and yet one couldn't help but admire. Almost every- one carried a baby, leaning far over its squirming form to protect it from flying bits of houses, or falling roof tiles. It was a sight which will remain with me through life. Another terrific jerk and we were in the midst of another one! Another kind of fear betook us! We had heard of the ground open- ing up and letting people in! This one, however, didn't last as long as the other, so our fears were stilled for a moment. Only for a mo- ment, though! No sooner had this one ceased than another followed! This followed by another, and another until one lost the count! (The Meteorological Observatory reported 356 shocks on the 1st; 289 on the 2nd; and 173 on the 3rd.) Thus were our fears kept alive throughout the day and night, until one almost wished the first shock had been successful? But still we were worth three dead men yet, so we decided to live on! "A fire! Tokyo is on fire! Entire down-town district in flames!" was the news that greeted us, as a dense cloud of smoke began to arise in that direction. But we had work at home! No! Our house was not on fire, but not far away the district was already in flames' The earthquake had caused a panic. People had left their homes, and being the noon-hour a fire burned in every house. The houses had collapsed with the first hard shake, and fire came as a natural result. Almost before it could be realized, fire had broken out in every part of the city! At the first alarms, the firemen gallantly rushed to the scene! They fought bravely! They pitted their strength and wisdom against that of the onrushing adversary! It was a battle in which the fates of thousands were to be determined! Ah! It couldn't go to the foe! The lives of thousands of Tokyo's citizens hung in the balance, and it seemed the firemen were winning, when an unlooked for thing happened! The supply of water, the City water- works, was dry! The first severe shock had disabled the pumps, and fifteen minutes of fire-fighting in all parts of the city, had been sufficient to exhaust the supply ! Not to be beaten by this disastrous stroke of fate, the firemen moved to points of vantage and set their powerful pumps to work pumping water from the moats and rivers. This, however, had given the fire more chance, and fanned by the ever changing wind, it had raced on! When the fight was again resumed, it was apparent that the men had lost ground! They fought a gallant fight! They dyna- mited buildings in a last effort to cut off its onslaught, but to no

128 IMPROVEMENT ERA avail! Pushed by the wind which had almost reached the velocity of a gale, the flames jumped these gaps, crossed over streets, streams and alleys where, joined by other fires, it had by nightfall united into one mighty conflagration! As viewed from the hill at Hanzomon that night, it was one seething ocean of fire! It seemed to completely surround the Imperial Palace, which had proved a haven of retreat to thousands who had rushed to its spacious grounds for protection. It was a veritable hell on earth! Occasionally, through a rift in the smoke and flame, a familiar building could be seen, only to be enveloped instantly again in the surging sea of flame! Its roar was like that of an angry sea beating against the rocks! Its light, low and mellow, was like a twilight afterglow! It was awful! Think of the lives of men and beasts being sacrificed in that angry flame! Think of the property, that which man had prided himself in, being reduced to ashes! Is it any wonder that the people of Tokyo, finding no solution for the thing, groped around for some- thing upon which to lay the blame, and finding nothing else but the Koreans, mobbed and slew them? No! For the deafening roar, the blinding smoke, and terrible suspense that the people were in, was enough to drive people insane. They were insane, and the poor Koreans suffered! God alone knows how many of these people were put to death during the first three days of the fire! It was a false alarm, and even the Japanese themselves do not try to justify it now, but the innocent Koreans were dragged from their homes, to be beaten and kicked by a raving mob, until blessed unconsciousness rendered their suffering nil, and death in the end brought release from an exist- ence among an unfriendly and unforgiving people. God alone must judge them and their offenders, for we in our weak mortal state, are prone to err in such cases. That the Japanese were in their own minds justified, we cannot say, but the facts in the case have proved the Koreans to be innocent of any offense, and the Japanese wholly the aggressors. While this war on the Koreans raged heavily, the fire had not ceased! Indeed, if that be possible, it had increased its speed! Cer- tainly it had grown broader! By day dense clouds of black smoke rolled forth to proclaim itself to the world, that Tokyo still burned! By night, a light almost to defy the powers of the sun, proclaimed the same sad story! Oh! That I might tell you of my feelings at this time, but I cannot! Words refuse to describe such things, and in fact, even now, I cannot understand what they were. For three days and nights the onslaught continued! At the end, a blessed downpour of rain, when there was but little left to burn, succeeded in extinguishing the once mighty conflagration. It had done its ^ work! It had won the battle and had raced on until there was nothing left but smouldering ruins of the once great Tokyo, the pride of all Japan. Even the godowns were burned! In fact there

THRILLING EXPERIENCE IN TOKYO DISASTER 129 Top: A pile of human bones at Shifukusho, one of the thousands like it. They have a pile several feet high of ashes which have been sifted. It was here before the bodies were burned that the stench was so unbearable. Bottom: The picture is of Maruzen Co., now a hopeless wreck. It shows the work of earthquake and fire. Notice the bent steel, the twisted metal doors, broken and cracked cement pillars — one of thousands like it which, being made of reinforced concrete and brick, couldn't be entirely burned. The district lor miles along the Ginza was marked by many buildings similar to this one.

130 IMPROVEMENT ERA was nothing left of over two- thirds of the once fair city, but ashes and broken-down ruins. What it had taken men three hundred years to build, fire destroyed in three days! It seems impossible, and yet the facts are before our eyes! After all, what are the things of this life worth anyway? Were it not for our hope in Christ, is there anything in this life worth striving for? I fear, after seeing such wholesale destruction of life and property, we are forced to say there is not. It is all over now! The former spirit of defiance has changed to one of weeping. Tokyo has changed from the once proud Metropolis of the Far East, to the city of Ruins and Dead! Her peo- ple no longer boast of her wealth and beauty. Those who are left walk the streets, searching for loved ones, searching for something which might give them the wherewith to buy their food, or searching in the midst of ruins for something, they know not what! The spirit of sorrow permeates the entire population, as they go about their sad task of locating and burying the dead. We went out to see to what extent our field of labor had been destroyed, and in our walk, (there was no other means of traveling) we crossed the Sumida river into Monjo ward. It was in this vicinity, near the Ryogoku station, in a small open place called Shifukusho, that one of the saddest scenes that has ever been enacted in the history of the world, took place! Honjo-ku, unlike most of the other resi- dence districts of Tokyo, has no parks. The population is, or rather was, extremely dense. At the outbreak of fire, the people fled in every direction, but escape was impossible! They were trapped like rats, and would eventually die in the flames, which by this time had surrounded them! Then a hope sprang in their hearts! The police were directing them to Shifukusho! Into this small open place they crowded by the thousands! Surely this was a haven of retreat! But alas, they were to be sadly dis- appointed! Closer and closer closed the fire! It was coming, but they would be spared! Parents huddled around their offspring in an effort to protect them from the intense heat! It was terrible, but they would have stood it perhaps, if cruel fate had not played them another trick! They had carried with them their belongings! These caught fire and together with the extreme heat charred them in their very tracks! When we visited them a week later, their charred bodies hud- dled together in small groups, told this awful tale in words more powerful than man's. Think of it! Forty four thousand people charred beyond recognition in one little place! The awfulness of it cannot be fully comprehended even by those who have seen it, so I fear you will not be able to, but you might try. The stench was unbearable, while the sight was one which, though I live to be a hundred, I will never fully erase from my memory! We moved on, only to find more dead! Dead every- where! The Sumida river seemed full, as the tide came in carrying

THRILLING EXPERIENCE IN TOKYO DISASTER ;' 131 them back up where rescue workers fished them out and piled them in piles along the bank, where later soldiers cremated them with kerosene! The horrible expression of agonizing pain upon the face of every one told what a terrible death they suffered. We can never understand it, for none have ever been through it and told us of its pain. All we are able to do is to let our imagination run to the extreme, and then it cannot fathom the depth of suffering those thousands under- went. Ruins and destruction faced us on every hand! Just as far as the eye could carry you, nothing but ruins! We climbed the hill at Ueno park, where thousands had sought refuge and had found it. From here we could see out across the river to the east. Nothing but ruins! Below us lay the Ueno station, now a heap of twisted iron and stone! To the south, just as far as one could see, lay the ghastly ruins of Manseibashi station and vicinity! To the north more ruins, and to the west still more! It is impossible to calculate the number of lives this one high tableland saved, but it must almost reach into the mil- lions. The other large parks in the city which did similar duty were Kudan, Hibiya and Shiba. It is a conceded fact that had Tokyo had more of these spacious parks, the death list would not have reached the high mark it did. However that is a problem for the future when Tokyo once more becomes the pride of the entire nation. Our duty now was to find the Saints and investigators. We had been joined by the missionaries from the other conferences. President Lloyd O. Ivie and Elder Vinal G. Mauss traveled from Sapporo to Tokyo riding part of the way in freight cars, in order to find out for sure just how we four who were in Tokyo at the time, had fared. They were joined at Sendai by Elders Hicken and Holley. We were joined later by Elders Robertson and Jensen of the Osaka conference. It was a meeting of joy and gladness, when we saw the brethren come in just one week to the day after the disaster. We had been unable to send them word of any. kind, all telegraphic communications hav- ing been cut off at the quake. President Ivie called a meeting on Sunday and it was decided to visit the Saints. We were paired off and sent out on our errands of mercy to those Saints from whom we had received no word nor had previously visited. Our search was rewarded in every case but one, by finding the Saints safe and well. In this case, the house had been burned and the sister had gone to the home of her father, which thing we learned later. Of all the Saints in the city of Tokyo, only one lost her home. Not one was killed, in fact not one received even a scratch. So far as we have been able to learn only one of our investigators lost his home by fire, he and his little boy not being home. We have searched the city over, and as yet we have our first one of our Saints or in- vestigators to find dead. This has been a testimony to me, that God does look after his

132 IMPROVEMENT ERA people. That where people are assembled together in his name there will his Spirit be also. That even in our weakness if we err, if we repent thoroughly, we are forgiven. It has proved to me more force- fully than any other thing ever did before, just how utterly futile man's efforts are against the elements! It has shown me that the things of this life are easily destroyed, and that if we have not hope in a life after death, we have very little to look forward to. But there is a life after death! If there is none, then how are we going to recon- cile ourselves to the fact that over two hundred thousand people's lives have been thus taken away from them before they were ready to die? That 316,087 homes were destroyed, and 1,356,740 people were made homeless in the recent fire. My brethren and sisters, the signs of the times predict that the advent of the Son of God is near at hand. Listen to the following: "Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes. For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceed- ingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree. And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people. For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion ; and surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people." (D. £> C. 88:86-91.) This prophecy has, at least in part, been fulfilled before our very eyes! Can we stand and doubt more? We must reap while the day lasts. We must keep our lamp trimmed, for "no man knoweth the hour." Let us be up and doing. God has spoken to us by the voice of earthquakes, thunderings, and by tidal waves! He has warned us and all people that greater calamities shall come if they do not turn from their ways of sin and wickedness. The time is short, and there is much to do to prepare the nations for the advent of our Lord. In regard to the work here, I have great hope. I feel this has been the turning point. I feel the people of this nation can see wherein 'tis folly to trust in earthly things. I hope so, at least. I hope that through this it will be easier to reach the hearts of the peo- ple with the message of truth; for if not, all these lives have been sacrificed in vain! Such can never be! In the great economy of the Lord, it was necessary that all of these should die, in order that the others might find themselves. We must do the rest. Let us go forth rejoicing, and bear our message to them in plainness without fear and without shame. For we can all say as Paul of old, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto sal- vation to every one that believeth." (Rom. 1:16.)

THRILLING EXPERIENCE IN TOKYO DISASTER \ 133 The missionaries in Tokyo at the time of the earthquake were: Elders Ernest B. Woodward, Rulon C. Esplin, Milton B. Taylor, and Lewis H. Moore. Tokyo, Japan Across the Years The message that the angels sang, On that clear night when heaven rang Divinest music down to men, Is on this Christmas sung again — "Peace on earth, good will toward men." A face looks down across the years, And smiles a message, through its tears, For every soul, for every need; For every cause, if men will heed — "Peace on earth, good will toward men." Upon our day of doubt and strife; On all the ills and griefs of life, A face looks down across the years And smiles a faith for all our fears — "Peace on earth, good will toward men." A heart beats down across the years And bids the sorrowing dry their tears; A voice rings down from on the Mount And calls injustice to account — "Peace on earth, good will toward men." A love warms down the tide of time To melt away all mammon's crime; To chase the warrior's rule away, And leave its law to reign alway — "Peace on earth, good will toward men." A truth rings down time's vagrant years And shames the creeds of men today; It brothers all, it mothers all; Its law is love, and love is all! — "Peace on earth, good will toward men." Salt Lake City C. N. Lund