Litchfield enquirer., 1859-07-21

no longer welcomes the stranger to the hosp
 table halls. Alas for the world when such
 men die Humanity is quite too poor in great uilselhsh spirits to afford the loss.
 All our readers are familiar with the name ot Joseph Sturgt, and with the sad tdngs of
 his sudden death. His name has gone out through Christendom, as one of the most ear nest, most persevcrng and most brave-souled philanthropists of our age. When the ear heard him then it blessed him when the eye Saw him, it gave witness to his bright and beautiful benignity. The blessings of many who were ready to perish came upon him, and he caused the widows heart to sing for joy.
 A father was he to the poor, and the cause which he knew not he searched oat
 Joseph Surge was the son of Quaker pa rents; and he wore the straight coat and the spreading brm till the morning of his death. He was born at Eberton in 1793, the sixth Of his family who bore the patriarchal name of Joseph through as many successive genera tlons. He was educated for corn-merchant; and died coru-mcrchant, but the world knows hm best as dealer in good works" with a gfahary Wh oh never once gave out. From his boyhood he was true reformer. Four cardi- nal ideas governed his whole active career. Ihey were-freedom from the bread-tax, free dom from the bottle, freedom from the slave whip, freedom from the sword. Could he have entered on nobler life-campagn than this :? Richard Golden and John Bright found in him the very man who was ready to stand sponsor to Their Anti n-Lcague" And when British labor swung it's burly arm in tri- umph over the downfall of the bread-tax, one of the names its stro lg lungs cheered for most lustiIy, was that of the meek hero of Edge baston. Nor could he have been a Quaker, without being friend of brace. Brought up amid the wild havoc of Napolt on's bloody butcheres, he learned to hate war from his cradle. One of the most remarkable incidents Of his life was his visit to the Emperor of Russia during the Crimean conflict. Accom- panied by Robert Charleton, they went as deputation from the Society of Friends and with rcmonstrance in their hands, and their broad beavers on their heads, they marched into the royal presence chamber at St Peters burg. The Emperor received them gracious y, and granted to their appeal a most respect full hearing
 To the cause of total abstinence Mr. Surge gave his time and his tolls what was more (and rarest in England he gave it the power of his own example. While the tables of British aristocracy were loaded with ruby wines, and the British democracy were drown ing themselves ill the bottomcss beer-vats, he dared to be singular, and joined the little per secuted baud of tcetotallers The infant en- terprise in Britain cannot atforl to lose such man as he.
 But the crowning labor and glory of his useful life was his crusade against tie slave ] yN and hn Gee h.. | good hater" Then would he have loved MT Surge /; for with all his capacious soul he did hate the accursed abomination of slavery Not alone as Quaker did he abhor it :; but 1 as man aud Christian. Nor did he rest satisfied with an abstract adherence of the giant iniquity. Turning his back on the luxn- ries of his beautiful home, he undertook voy- age to the plantations of Jamaica, and inves- tigated the rule of the rawhide for himself. On his return, he was cross-questioned for sev- en days by Committee of Parliament, and his testimony had great influence in bringing ! about the world-known act of West India Emancipation for more men of his gen. tie, calm, loving spirit in our own land men who can hate oppression without reviling eve ry born save-holdcr--men who can reason and be reasoned with-men who are less ready to strike down the master than to lift up the slave. It is no easy thing to be a patient, cal.n-headed, loving and loyeable reformer it is no easy thing to look at injustice and suffer- ln5 without growing fiery-tongued and belcb- Ing out flame and fury against the wrong do- CT. But one of these rarehnd well-balanced men Was Joseph Stnrge/ We commend his example to the AhtiSlavery men of America l This Fare aud symmetrical beauty of Mr. l Sturge's career met it's reward. While he liv- | ed, all men honored ~him when he died, all men lanented him. His funeral was such as bustng Birn ingham had never witnessed be- | fore. The citizens of the great armour-man- ufacturing emporium asked the privilege of giving public and ponpous burial to the gentle man of peace. But it was contrary to the usage of the Friends, and the offered hon or was delicately declined. But nothing could hinder the people from paying their spontane- us tribute to his memory. On the day of the funeral, shops and stores were barred up and through densely-thronged streets the long procession took its way to the silent grave. In that procession, were men of every party and every sect among the mourners rode John Angell James, the prince of English In dependency-Dr. Miller, the leader of B.r- mingham Episcopac Charlton, the Braithwaites, with hosts of meek-visaged Friends-aDd conspicuous among them all was John Blight, the foremost man to-day ir Great Britain. It was no common excellence which could thus win the admiration, and co,u
 mand the sincere homage of men so different in creed and so widely asunder in daily asso ciations.
 | Under the green turf of the Quaker's burl | al-ground in Birmingham sleeps the manly
 form, of Joseph Surge His memory is witt
 Carkson, and Allen, and Wheeler with bux
 ton, and Gurdey, and Wilberforce. His re cord is on high. A simple follower of Christ
 he rests from his love-labor. He took goot l, mans life with him when he went up to tn | hoSop, nf hia God