|
When the motion picture, "Titanic," first showed up on the movie screens it captivated the minds and hearts of many.
The purpose of this page is to relate a
little known chapter in the saga of the great tragedy that befell the famous
ocean liner on that fateful night,
Sunday, April 14, 1912.
After
striking an iceberg the majestic queen of the White Star fleet
disappeared into the black, cold waters of the North Atlantic.
The
ship took less than three hours to enter its watery tomb,
taking with
it 1517 souls.
Only 706 survived.
I also want to clear up some
confusion
about the Titanic's First Officer,
William Murdoch, who,
though portrayed as a villian in the movie,
was, in fact, a great hero!
Now, here's the rest of the story...
John Harper, the newly called pastor of Moody Church in the early
1900's,
manifested his Christian character in the sinking of the
Titanic.
Dr. W. B. Riley related the death of Harper.
"We have the
history of John Harper's end,
for survivors, brought to harbor in
safety, told the same.
When the Titanic was struck by the iceberg
that drove in her sides, and sent the ship to the bottom,
John Harper
was leaning against the rail
pleading with a young man to come to
Christ ...." (Ministers' Research Service)
Four years after the Titanic went down,
a young Scotchman (Aguilla
Webb) rose in a meeting in Hamilton, Canada,
and said, "I am a survivor
of the Titanic.
When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful
night,
the tide brought John Harper, of Glasgow,
also on a piece
of wreck near me.
'Man,' he said, 'are you saved?'
'No,' I
said. 'I am not.'
He replied, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved.'"
"The waves bore him away; but, strange to say brought him back a little
later,
and he said, 'Are you saved now?'
'No,' I said, 'I cannot
honestly say that I am.'
He said again, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved,'
Shortly after he went down; and
there, alone in the night,
and with two miles of water under me, I
believed.
I am John Harper's last convert."
- Taken from the "Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations"
by Paul Lee Tan,
Assurance Publishers, 1982.)
I found this story on Don Chancey's wonderful site.
I wish to
thank him for allowing me the privledge of posting it here.
Here is his
email to me:
Dorothy,
Feel free to use anything that will lift up and glorify Jesus
because
HE said in John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men unto me.
HE also said in John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I
am the
light of the world!
I am not exactly sure where I got this story 2-3 years ago, but it is so
much better than all the other Titanic stuff.
Have a Jesus day!
Don Chancey
You can go see Don's wonderful site by clicking on his name above,
or on
the picture below.
S O C I E T Y - P R E S S - R E L E A S E
"Oscar winning Titanic directory James Cameron has offered
the first
of what we hope to be several apologies
for
character-defaming historical inaccuracies in his blockbuster film",
said Doug Phillips, President of the Christian Boys' & Men's Titanic
Society.
Reuters News Service reports that the makers of Titanic
"have apologized to a Scottish town for turning its local hero into a
villain,
a British member of parliament said on Wednesday."
Cameron portrayed Titanic's First Officer William Murdoch
as
a confused and wavering shell of a man
who took a bribe, shot a
third-class passenger, and then committed suicide.
In point of
fact, Murdoch gave his life to save passengers,
helping them into
boats, and then throwing deck chairs overboard
so that drowning
passengers would have something to keep them afloat.
Murdoch is
generaly recognized by historians and titaniphiles
as a hero who never
wavered in the performance of his duty
and who gave his life for women
and children," said Phillips.
According to Reuters:
"20th Century Fox admitted in a letter
to Alisdair Morgan,
the member of parliament for Murdoch's hometown
Dalbeattie,
that it had no evidence the first officer . . . had done
any of those things."
What makes Cameron's revision of history so misleading," said
Phillips,
"is that in interview after interview Cameron has stressed
that he went to great pain to insure absolute historical accuracy."
Reuters reports that:
"Records dating from the disaster put on
display Wednesday
by Britain's Public Record Office show
that
Titanic survivors were impressed by the cool behavior of the crew.
"Nothing but the most heroic conduct; perfectly orderly,"
a survivor
named, 'Gracie', told a U.S. Congress inquiry in 1912."
Cameron has donated $8,340 to a memorial fund set up in Murdoch's
honor.
"Other historical inaccuracies include Cameron's portrayal of the rich
bribing their way to freedom,
the deliberate prevention of the third
class from reaching safety,
the pandemonium during the early stages in
which the boats were loaded,
and the class-based religious services,"
said Phillips.
"On a thematic level, Cameron minimizes the role of the
men
who gave their lives for women and children,
and he presents a
Titanic embroiled in class warfare."
"From the beginning," Phillips said, 'we have had two big concerns
about the film:
First, Cameron glorifies teenage promiscuity and youth
rebellion,
and second, the effect of Cameron's 'politically correct'
interpretation of history
is that the hundreds of thousands of young
people
who see the film may be forever inoculated
from learning
the true lessons of the Titanic
at a time in which they are most
desperately needed."
On March 23, 1998,
the Christian Boys' and Men's Titanic
Society
launched its web page which featured the question:
"Should
James Cameron apologize to the men of the Titanic?"
COPYRIGHT S 2000
THE CHRISTIAN BOYS' And MEN'S TITANIC
SOCIETY
Song from the movie "Titanic"
My Heart Will Go On
Every night in my dreams I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you go on.
Far across the distance and spaces between us
You have come to show you go on.
Near, far, wherever you are,
I believe that the heart does go on.
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart,
And my heart will go on and on.
Love can touch us one time and last for a lifetime,
And never let go till we're gone.
Love was when I loved you, one true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on.
Near, far, wherever you are,
I believe that the heart does go on.
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart,
And my heart will go on and on.
You're here, there's nothing I fear
And I know that my heart will go on.
We'll stay forever this way,
You are safe in my heart,
And my heart will go on and on
E-MAIL THIS PAGE TO YOUR FRIEND
HOME
 
|