Affliction Cements Hearts
Afflictions make friendships. There was an Englishman in Chicago the winter before the fire, who was much impressed with the rapid growth of the city.
He went back to Manchester where he told the people about the city only forty years old, with all its fine buildings, its colleges, its churches. He thought it was a most wonderful city.
But no one seemed to take any interest in Chicago. “But,’’Tie says, “one day the news came flashing over the wires that Chicago was burning. Then they suddenly became interested about Chicago.
Every man I had told about Chicago became interested, and couldn’t hear too much. The news came flashing under the sea that half the city was burnt.
There were men who couldn’t help but weep.” At last the news came that 100,000 people were homeless, and were in danger of starvation, unless immediate help was sent. Then these men came forward and gave their thousands.
It was the calamity that visited Chicago that brought out the love and pity of those men.— MOODY.