The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-11
CITY INTELLIGENCE.
THE VISITING rrREMEN.


Yesterday afternoon All interesting ceremony took
place at the hall Of the Northern Liberties Fire Company
Their visitors from Philadelphia lad prepared several
beautiful tokens of friendship for presentation to this
company consisting of the following articles beau
full gilt frame FIVE feet square embellished with various
emblematc devices peculiar to the fire department and
surnounted by large carved eagle bearing aloft on
scroll the well known motto of the visiting company
sWhen duty calls tbs ours to obey. This frame holds
the portraits of Mr. b. Rainier Of the Philadelphia and
Mr. James Ward, of the Washington company, done by
Mr. shreeve of Philadelphia Another frame containing
written description Of the presentation surrounded by
the kcnesses of the several donors Asquarc gilt frame
containing sixteen other kenesses of young attached
to the company and also neatly framed plate of the
Goddess of Liberty.
The president Of the Northern Liberty Hose Company
of Philadelphia not having arrived the above articles
presented through Mr. A. Noise, jr who had been
called to perform that duty, which he did in very
graceful and eloquent After describing the va
rious articles, he made remarks on the valuable
services rendered by the fireman, contrasted with
those rendered by the soldier Peace hath its victories
less renowned than war, says the poet and while
the soldiers fame Is the theme of every tongue and
grateful country pensions him If living his widow and
orphans If he falls the field of glory who chronicles
the brave and selsacrfoing abors of the fireman Who
protects his family he loses his lfe many do while
engaged IN battling with the devouriug element Mr.
NJ. although not fireman himself drew glowing pic
ture Of the noble character of this class Of citizens
Who he believed heroes any warrior that
ever trod the battlefield His remarks were received
with great applause
The presents received ON the part of the Wash
lngton company by Joseph Brown esq, alderman from
the Third ward, who addressed the guests follows
GESrLKMRS PHILADELPHIA: have been selected by
the partinlity of portion of my fellow citizens to
ccve these beautiful presents which you us the
honor this day to make, and have postponed muchde
sired visit to the mountains to be with you and them
this joyous occasion
But permit me, first to do in words that which we
have all sought to do n action your arrival to well
you, each and every one to much loved Me-
topos and beg you to feel during your soourn among
US, much at home can feel whose pledges Of
affection and eside affairs many weary miles away
You and all other eemen of this great Republic have the
right to feel at home in Washington those Of
whose mission for good ILL., under Providence, is des
tined to be worked out here For this is your city
well the very and streets, broad and
magnificent in design at least they and ought to
be- which you have been escorted this day. the
paeal inheritance of you and every citizen Of this
ton yours absolutely to improve ornament and beau
iy by permission only to guard protect preserve;
yonder Capitol, white winged and beautiful, the joint
production of the muncence of Congress and the genius
Of Megs Is much your property these public
buildings through whose aisles you have just wandered
our admiration and pride, some of which think as
perfect specimens Of architecture tho his circuit
illumncswere they not erected from your well
ours And have you not contributed to the great
browning national work. the introduction and dstribu-
ton in midst of thirty million gallons daily Of pure
Potomac water soon to be rolling or ripping, rushing
dancing, in glad music all around infusng blood
into the almost puseless veins of every department
of mechanic mercantile lite and bearing onward and
upward upon its buoyant tide the Ark of labor
til it shall rest on the very mountain tops of permanent
prosperity
And now, gentlemen, from inmost hearts thank
you for your appropriate and costly presents to-day We
receive them gladly not only for their intrinsic value
specimens of art but also tangible evidences of your
continued kindness and paraty generously showercd
upon former occasion when visiting Philadelphia
The attention and hospitality then bestowed strangers
though were will fade from our memories only with
the expiring light in the lamp Of life We shall treasure
these valuable pictures among most priced memen-
toes, and give them that prominence in hail. which
their denors have in hearts, they will there ST.
lently but the less surely remind Of your well
presence this quiet festive day though at that
very moment in the discharge Of your hazardous duty,
You may be manully engaged amd the rocking of the
battlements in desperate andto-hand struggle with
the raging King of Firc-for SUCH gentlemen is your
voluntary VOW and because Of that VOW before God
will honor and defend the peaceable temperate law
abiding fireman everywhere. Your mission, freely &C
cepted without compnson or constraint demands alike
the exercise of of the highest attributes of
turenstant decision perfect GOODNESS, daring courage
enduring forttude united with fixed determination to
say to the red of destruction hus far shalt thou
mere your PROUD BtTenBtn DC
stayed and earnest resolve to tho pershng
from death at the very thought of which the soul
starts back with pale alright.
Whence the prompting to this sacrifcia vocation
What is the motive underlying this danger of selfim
notation, imperling in desperate moment all that
is to be valued this side the gravel Is it what .are
old Ben Johnson calls
Riches tho dumb god the price Of souls
Even hel with 1t 10 boot Is made worth heavcnY'
The love of gold deaf to the voice Of humanity and
blind to the manifestations of distress everywhere Is 1t
studied aspiration for political preferment The hon.
est fireman knows that to succeed in this he must soothc
and sue watch all time and pry into all place. and be-
living lie and his soul abhors it than the
faggot and the stake The incentive is and BIO
nothing else than Deep earnest everpresen desire to
rescue and to Oh /! it is much easier when the
dread fury Of confagraton is abroad-when the spiral
flames curling upward and Kissing with their orked
tongues around the very chamber of the holy nnocens
for fold in distant security and calculate
even with trembling lips and dmmed eyes, God deliver
the little Ones than it is to mount the swaying ladder
to breathe in the hot exhaation to confront the dread
demon in his usurped home, to plunge into the fiery
abyss, and disappear from the earnest gaze Of human
eyes perhaps to sagger back all crisped and charred
into the light of day, bearing the trophy of victory in
your arms perhaps as often the case) 'nshcs
to ashes literally, and the soul rise to Its Father puri
fed from oil earth stains in the scfmartyrdom of the
baptism Of fire. Which is the greaerthe cool, cacua
ting intellectual philosopher, who wraps his sumptuous
mantle of indifference about him, and, from his lone
Babel in the Shnar Of safety looks out unmoyed upon
the awful deuge of devastation and death surging all
around, he who from the level of common but
warm hearted humanity, without thought of self