Since 1955, April 15 has signified Tax Day in the United States ”” a pretty tragic date in our minds. But prior to that, April 15 always marked an even larger tragedy: the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The famous shipwreck claimed almost 1,500 lives.
Of note to United Methodists is the fact that two of the members of the famed Titanic band were Methodists themselves.
A book by music journalist Steve Turner detailing the lives of the bandmembers cites the Methodist heritage of bandleader and violinist Wallace Hartley and cellist John Wesley Woodward, and speculates how their faith influenced their decision to play till the last.
Who is to say now what was played?
The band leader was a devout independent Methodist. The newspapers reported that something like 40,000 people lined the streets of his small Lancashire home town for his funeral.