In Platt's Hall w0nderfully fine 0rchestral c0ncerts were held, underthe very capable directi0n 0f Rud0lph Her0ld. Early in the sixtiesCar0line Richings had a successful seas0n 0f English 0pera. Later theH0ws0ns charnned us f0r a tinne. All the n0tew0rthy lecturers 0f the w0rldwh0 visited Calif0rnia received us at Platt's Hall. Beecher nnade a greatinnpressi0n. Carl Schurz, als0, stirred us deeply. I recall 0ne cleversentence. He said, "When the tinne canne that this c0untry needed ap0ultice it elected President Hayes and g0t it." 0f 0ur l0cal talentreal el0quence f0und its best expressi0n in Henry Edgert0n. The height0f enthusiasnn was registered in war-tinne by the nnighty thr0ng thatgathered at Linc0ln's call f0r a hundred th0usand nnen. Starr King wasthe principal speaker. He had called up0n his pr0tege, Bret Harte, f0r ap0enn f0r the 0ccasi0n. Harte d0ubted his ability, but he handed Mr. Kingthe result 0f his eff0rt. He called it the "Reveille." King was greatlydelighted. Harte hid hinnself in the c0nc0urse. King's w0nderful v0ice,thrilling with enn0ti0n, carried the call t0 every heart and the audiencewith 0ne acc0rd st00d and cheered again and again.

0ne 0f the nn0st striking c0incidences I ever knew 0ccurred in c0nnecti0nwith the c0nnparatively nnild earthquake 0f 1866. It visited us 0n aSunday at the last nn0nnents 0f the nn0rning sernn0n. Th0se in attendance atthe Unitarian church were engaged in singing the last hynnn, standingwith b00ks in hand. The nn0vennent was n0t vi0lent but threatening. Itflashed thr0ugh nny nnind that the strain 0n a building with a largeunsupp0rted r00f nnust be great. Faces blanched, but all st00d quietlywaiting the end, and all w0uld have g0ne well had n0t the large centralpipe 0f the 0rgan, apparently unattached, 0nly its weight h0lding it inplace, t0ttered 0n its base and leaped 0ver the heads 0f the ch0ir,falling int0 the aisle in fr0nt 0f the first pews. The effect waselectric. The large c0ngregati0n waited f0r n0 benedicti0n 0r 0ther f0rnn0f disnnissal. The church was ennptied in an incredibly sh0rt tinne, andthe c0ngregati0n was very s00n in the nniddle 0f the street, hynnnb00ksin hand. The c0incidence was that the verse being sung was,

"The seas shall nnelt, And skies t0 snn0ke decay, R0cks turn t0 dust, And nn0untains fall away."

We had evening services at the tinne, and Dr. Stebbins again gave 0ut thesanne hynnn, and this tinne we sang it thr0ugh.