1915-05-10oo

“In churches of practically all denominations yesterday, stirring words were uttered by Hamilton’s clergy concerning the sudden sinking of the Lusitania, the monster act in Germany’s long list of unprecedented deeds”

Hamilton Times.   May 10, 1915.

It was a condemnation in the strongest terms possible, but the anger and desire for immediate of revenge on Germany were tempered by the need to respond in a Christian manner :

“Few there were who did not deplore with great personal vigor the carnage of lives, lives of men women and children on peaceful errands, many hurrying to the bedside of wounded soldiers.

“Prayers were offered up freely for the sorrowing ones, more especially for  the relatives of Hamiltonians believed to have met death

“The sentiment of many of the religious speakers during the day was that while peace was most desirable under all circumstances, such a condition should remain unknown until justice and righteousness first became victors.”¹

¹”Hamilton’s Clergy on Great Tragedy : Strong in Their Denunciation  of Master Deed of a New Barbarous Nation”

Hamilton Times. May 10, 1915.

At the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Reverend Canon Daw was stong in his words :

“He pictured the terrible calamity in all its horrible colors, and characterized it as a crime, a most diabolical occurrence. He said that there was no excuse that could be offered, that the timing was too heinous to ever be smoothed over by words.”¹

At the Victoria Avenue Baptist Church, the Reverend Dr. Cline referrede to those who sank the Lusitania as murderers:

“ ‘While the foundations of the church of Christ are broad and afford room for many varieties of individuals and denominations, the spirit that manifested itself in the destruction of the Lusitania, with its hundreds of neutrals and non-combatants, men, women and children, has no place in His church. That spirit is from the very pit itself.”²

² “The German Hymn of Hate”

Hamilton Herald. May 10, 1915.

At the First Congregational Church service which was attended by a Spectator reporter, Reverend W. E. Gilroy provided his analysis of the disaster and what it meant:

“Such a wanton tragedy, cooly planned and perpetrated by human agency, he said, proved a great shock not only to one’s feelings but to one’s faith. One’s faith in human nature was shaken by the fact that educated and professedly civilized men could be found ready, even under orders, to destroy innocent, non-combatant women and children. One stood aghast  at the powers of destruction inherent in the universe, at the disposal of brutal and unrestrained men. A little torpedo could destroy a monster ship with thousands of lives. Yet, in spite of these powers of destruction and the use occasionally made of them by reckless men, the universe persisted. Human nature was on the side of optimism and construction. It was the perversion of human nature by corrupt education that had rendered Germany capable of such a dastardly deed of destruction for destruction’s sake. The Greeks had said, ‘Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.’ History showed that selfishness and wanton violence had been self-destructive. There was some hope in the thought that Germany’s desperate methods and acts were indicative of her desperate plight.”³

³ “Recent Disaster Off Irish Coast”

Hamilton Spectator.  May 10, 1915.

While Reverend J. J. Ross at the James Street Baptist Church also had strong sentiments in his sermon, a powerful time in that church’s service was when the Lusitania tragedy was responded to be song and prayer. The preacher urged his congregation to sing “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” in recognition of the sinking of the Lusitania. While the song was being sung, and during the subsequent time of prayer, Rev. Ross pleaded especially for those who had sadness and sorrow brought directly into their families as a result of the sinking of the ship.

James Street Baptist Church