Article May 18, 1918 Issue

Quietness and Confidence

"I suppose you have read in the newspapers about the severe earthquake here last Sunday. I have experienced several of these shakes, but this was the worst one that I remember. A Christian Science lecture was in progress at the time and there were over five thousand people present. The building began to rock and roll as though it would come down; in fact the shock was so great that the chandeliers swayed three or four feet each way from the center and continued to swing for forty-five minutes after the shock.

"When the shock was at its height many of the people raised up in their seats and started for the door. The lecturer did not know what was happening; he only knew that fear had taken hold of the people. He turned to——and was told that it was an earthquake. He immediately turned to the crowd and said, 'Sit down.' I was ushering at the main entrance in the rear, and repeated the command. The work of the Scientists caused the people immediately to go to their seats. Only twelve left the hall, and seven of these returned to hear the balance of the lecture.

"I am so grateful to have had this experience and to have seen the effect of the speaker's next remarks. He said in clear, positive tones, 'There is no power on earth that can make the English speaking peoples fearful.' When he said that there was a great applause and the mesmerism of the occurrence was over. He then told of a somewhat similar experience during an air raid. He told the people how an audience in London behaved under similar circumstances. I am sure that not one person who heard that lecture will ever forget the experience. Contrasting this experience with the mobs and rushes that were reported to have occurred in the theaters in the city, I see a great lesson."

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