Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-02-23
LOCAL NEWS.

|
| D. CHRISTIAN HCOhMIssIoS-A very Isr,,
Torn-s .ns Gl tne trends Of the u. s. Christian
OoI p In,Is SION was held last evening in the Hal
oA iAtpiesehtatlEes, and Notwithstanding IN.
ihCl' mency OF the evening and the bad condi
cen OF the W alks, large mum Der of ladies vUere
OF Inc Assem- blaee. "
AT half-past seven o'clock Secretary Chase
called the meeting to order The Cbrisfian y
Nolh miesa was composed, he said. of gentle
@ m.eh OF All denominations OF Christians, and
| en'Ioon an amount OF the best talent of the
country, WHO devo;e 1 themselves with zeai 20
Cnris ian mnlstrations ms among the soldiers n
sattcIs, , and IL commended itself to all men
! VIII ou' rrsGect TO Genominational peculiarit
Inc attendance of so large a number OF naonla
on a hIght so ihcienent was a gratifying evil
! ornce OF the interest tax, i'm this mttter
President Lincoln: A'onu
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington. Feb o,
loc3-Rer Alexander Rced: nv Dear Sir-Yonr
| note, by which you as General Sunerintandon,
! OF The q. s. Christian Commission. in nyite me-
| 10 preside, al M eting 10 be held this day ar
me ball OF the House of Representative in
/ tnIs CITY, is received "
while for reasons which deem sufficient T
must dec line 10 preside, l cannot withhold pny
| approvaI of the meeting and its worthy obiecrs
| Whatever shall b. sincerely and i'm G0od,s 3.,,,
devised for the good of the Soldiers ana seaman
| In theiT hard spheres of duty can scarcely fail
10 De blessed. And whatever shall tend 10
ruiI uur tiont Ms from the unreasoning aud
uneharltabie passions, prejudces and ieaI-
ousi"s incident TO a great National tronhIa
suCh as ours: and TO tx them upon tha -.
nnu S ione t,anr n consequences, for veal OF
iCr Voc, Whlcn are 10 result from this strur-
gre ard especially TO strengthen our reliance
on the Suprt me Being for The final triumph OF
tn Tlght, cannot but tie well for us all
Tie firth day OF Washington and the chris
nan sabbath cotnciGiug this wear. and suggest
ln togt ther the highest interes of this life and
OF MAJ 10 come, Is mos tpropitiousf fJr the meet
ing proposed.
Your obedient servant, A. LINcoLN.
A',r a patlIofic prayer by the Rev. Or.
30, kton, an Introductory statement was made
by GeoIge III. Stewart, Esa. President of ths
Christian Commits ion.
he Christian Commission was organized i'm
November 1861, and its of.ject was TO minister
SRd Dc staen VIZ wa fPiFsT e sfT OF s rGders
still greater chi:,miiy; but tue overthrow OF tho
best Government ever gwen to man u,o.Ia
" greater calamity tpan all This aSSal.Iaii:tryt r
r.a IL f., :ffAss.a = @ts.t.e q y, AZ
Loh.e Sonltgrts. The Commission had bran a.
= ia BaitmoTe, st Louis, Louisville. Nash
% aiiy; oqao qna VI Inok sYit and lssti, ss :,
instruction. and Ia tle soldiers they went forth
10 IKE It ID One feature Of The work was 10
seId living men full OF TIL Gospel. who lab r.
60 without money and without price, TO The
soldiers, carry il " it'll Item such articles Of
com OFT - dehCacy a. The men need. All 20
forth without pay, except the ''Iiod bless
yCG. which came from the soldiers anu sail
CTs hearIs; and IN the spirit OF Christ thay 90
20 the N. n and, ia some III aSure. maxi uD tor
tIt al :enc" of father ANA mother. Mr. stewart
then nstanced number OF cases where men
had r6Inquished good positions for the pur-
pose Of thus serving their country. Besides,
The ASSOCIATION kept minute book-not for re-
CoTdmg proCU, dIEgs or transactions, but con-
taiEil Z the names of men who are prepared at
moments notice to 20 10 any -battleh Held
CasIs where much good had been accomplish
Ell Were referred TO, as. also, the evidence from
differ, ut sections OF the army showing the de-
sire Of the men TO receive religious reading
! and instruction. In the course of his remarks,
Mr. Stewart related an incident which had oc-
CURED Oh Mary land battlefield. and referred
10 a certain lady as the Florence Nightingale OF
America.
| Hon. Horace Maynard, Of Tenn, was the next
| 81, aker. He said that war was a condition 10
| ThILh the American people We're not accGs-
| toned. All our traditions and thoughts have
| been OF peace. The arts we cultivated were
! arts of peace. and The last war with England
! ard the Mexican war were hardly exceptions
10 prove the rule that our whole history was
| peace. We believed war in this country was
! AN impossibility, and that 1T would never visit
our shores. Force an element of govern
| ment had with many been laid away, and moral
! suason had taken its place. Hence when this
| war came upon us We were unprepared. OF
course. with such traditions and such a ma
ticnal feeling we could have but little expe-
rience in those things incident to a great war.
| at first passion filled up the army, but some
! thing more manly and enduring than passion
was necessary TO carry this conflict on to the
/ end. We must look at the effects of a state of
i war upon our people and what is 10 be the re-
| suit upon the body polite. We have nothing
in our own history that can shed much light
upon this subject, and we must therefore view
the effects in Britain, which has ever been a
warlike nation, When requested 10 be present
on this occasion, he Mr.. M was reminded OF
planned the condition of the classes in England
who had been soldiers after q long war. Mr.
M. then read the extract referred TO, which
powerfully detailed the decentralization caused
by military service and the vices and crimes to
which soldiers became addicted,
| We should continued Mr.. Maynard) en-
deavor TO prevent our soldiers from thus be-
coming familiar with vice; and-this society is
to prevent that decentralization of soldiers, and
sEa,, hoa aty 10 ~ mi
| nous when they left. This Is duty to the
soldier, SO that when he returns hemay come
back 10 the place in society he had LETT; TO make
him feel that the seat at the table and his couch
! are still unoccupied, and that he is still ar
] American citizen, and that his soldiership WAS
but for time. BY this process you make them
! for their duties. God be thanked that these
men, disinterested, but moved by the holy in.
stilations Of Christianity, have gone out upor
this errand. Allusion had been made TO some
body as the Florence Nightengale of this coun
try. He (Mr. M was sorry for that allusion
The Florence Nightingale Of AIasri".:. Flor
ence NightinGale1 ~ lie hospitals abroad at
tracted :.H.e admiration Of the whole world. Blu
IEsiand had but one Florence Nightingale; ant
[" .s aoing our American ladies an Immense IN
Justice 10 say of any one, she is NE Iorehc'
Nightingale Go anywhere, even 10 the pe.Ii
Gus edge of the battle field, and Juu will se
the mother, sister and daughter, a minIsterinl
> angel, carrying words of comfort and love ant
. blessings wherever she goes tApplause
In conclusion, the speaker said he woult
! give his humble accord and attestatiop 10 tn
r eroic Efforts OF a class Of men who, whel
E statesmen and warriors will be forgottep aut
these ~ ho compose dynasties shall pass away
1 vii! be remembered great lights, and viii
slow how glorious man can be when actuate'
ty Il spirit of Christianity. (Appliuse.l
Ex-Iiov. Pollock, of Pennsylvania, was mex
= Introduced. He said il WAS perfectly prope
: tlat such 4 meeting should be held In sacn
IA place, ana II was not ont of place 10 present
Ite audI nee the banner of the cross and OF tn
country, and bid God spesd tO IN Sc men. w
i've III momentoGs Times. The world Is coI
=, vuis'd 20 it, center, and our land is almost D
3 the aeonIes of dissolution. Must this nalo
! ruth on in a mad carer OF war Mnst nation
| be eLIrled against each other But there va