New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-22

,ennI,.e with emotion, and which will throw
-edeeming light on the tale Of disaster. Where
the false nobility OF caste broke down. the true
robility OF nature has asserted itself Among
legion of medioerites there came one heroic
spirit. In the intrenchments Of imbeeiity aP-
reared one vigorous directing mind. And, as If
20 render the contrast more striking this mind
VA. woman's. Where all was weakness, con-
fusion and despair. she brought strength, order
and hope. Men that sneered aud smiled at her
mi.sion and said she had better bde at home
now look in astoni shment and reverence. She
has wrought revolution greater than abe or
others dreamed OF.
When Miss Nightingale went to tue East she
entered on a field of duty which might apPall
the bravest lis horrors have been lstely told
before the Committee Of the House OF Com
mons. In close rooms, not fitted to contain half
the numbers they were made to accommodate,
were piled together men foul with filth and dis
ease, or grooming nth CHASTITY wounds. They
Icy there among corPses that made the air pes
tiferous No head to direct, no hand to minis
ter. no medicine to heal. The living had 10
lineer with the dead, purifying and waiting for
burial while useless formalites went their slow
and calous round. TIE bewildered officials even
left this load of horror like some plsguestricken
ship TO float ans drift at will. The picture OF the
plague in Thucyddes does not surpass in horror
that drawn By Or. Andrews of his own oharnel-
house at Scutari. To bring relief out Of such
misery, cleanliness out of such filth, order out Of
such chaos life out of such death was task which
might try the strongest head and trmest ma
ture. To perform that Office 1t needed LOFTY
soul to inspire, a noble intellect TO conceive,
gentle sweetness to soften. comprehensveness
of mind to control, elasticity of genius to di-
rect, strength Of will AMI intrepdity Of charac-
ter, indeed all the round Of executive human
virtues. They have all appeared, aud where man
failed true W oman, with trail strength but brave
heart, has succeeded.
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, the heroine of the
East owes, as we learn from authentic sources,
to her mother much Of that refined sensibility,
that sympathy for suffering, that deep love Of
her kind and sacrifice TO save them, which form
the basis of her character. The seat OF her
family lies in one Of those rich Wales OF Hamp-
shire whose peaceful beauties the engine hiss not
yet soled with it, fiery breath. Among the
simple people of the region her name istreasured
as a household word. IL is not essential TO our
argument, but as illusions have been made to
the subject we may mention that Miss Nightin-
gale. though from the absence of any neighbor-
ing church of her own communion she attends
the Episcopalian Church when in the country
is in conviction Unitarian. In person, we are
told. she Is frail aud delicate, and at times
strange shade of sadness hangs over her pale,
thoughtful face; but when it lights up 1t Is full
of sweet yivacity. Few can dissect with more
charming archness the stupid sentimentality
Of snob OF the prude pretension OF a
pedant. For several seasons Miss Nightingale
mingled in the brilliant gaeties of London life,
and though not physically beautiful she pos
sessed that ndefinable spiritual grace which
lends far more attractive charm. But she
proved her heart like Solomon, in mirth, and
found it vanity. Entering as a novice in some
of the hospitals of the Continent, she took at the
bedside of suffering her degree in the higher
science of humanity. Not even the most deli
cate scruples Of gentle reserve and graceful
dread of nOtOrety could trammel the determi-
nation of such q woman when called TO that po-
sition which has now made her famous through
out the world. Duty summoned her, and
spite of all difficulty and opposition she
went TO Constsntinople. This noble woman
does not stand alone. She has many sis
tiers who travel on the same path unseen.
For one Florence Nightingale whose name op-
portunity has made public possession, there
are hundreds in every rank of life whose sacr-
fee and self-denial are known only 10 the angel
who marks them in bright record above. Bnt It
is we'll that one should nov and then thus be
brought forward from her seclusion. 1t emo
bles man. inspires Woman and opens the gate
way to brighter age. Its especially well, De-
cause great as the benefaetonis to man, the SER
vice il renders TO Woman in showing of what she
il capable is of still greater magnitude. Flor
ence Nightingale has shown for how much higher
and nobler things than the world has been won't
TO imagine Woman is endowed Hers was nota
mission of simple beneyolence, like that Of the
beautiful SGRrs de Charlie, or Of other benevo-
Ientlv devoted women. 1t was not only
mission 10 distribute, but mission TO
originate, organize, develop, restrain, en-
courage, superintend and direct. distri-
button Of charity requires only goodness
of heart, but TO originate and direct il the high
est qualities Of intellect and character are
requisite. Obstacles must be overcome By per-
severance, stubborness softened by Kindness,
frivolity rebuked by gravity. Thus only under
such circumstances a. existed at sc1tlri could