Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-01-15

little sentence, you hide multitude of
foibles Scarcely person but, through
some unfortunate way" filters the weak
ness or willfulness of their humanity.
This last conclusion is especially consol-
ing to me, for l don't intend to pardon
Providence to-day for not letting me 60 to
the soldiers dinner. Why did want to
60 so very much? All, let me tell you
Why.
have just come from place, where,
faster than fell the autumn leaves, our
soldiers died for lack of care and nourish-
ment. l have seen men lying on. the wet
ground in the last stages of disease, turn
with loathing from the fetid water called
soup; from the herb like tea from the
hard bread,-the only offering made to
their failing appetitos l have fed these
men, and watched them die. Their skel-
eton fingers touch me in my dreams.
Their CHASTITY faces follow me wherever l
go. Their beseeching eyes, glazed and set
in death, still gaze into mine with dumb
appeal. Shall | ever cease to see them ?
Never. Never, shall forget that these
men, Americans, who fought and fell for
their country, who deserved the best of
their, government from kindred, died
and we're buried like dogs, and that ii
might haze been different. Well, thou
sands of dollars have been expended on a
Christmas dinner for the sick and wound.
ed soldiers of Washington. And if knew
every man would have the headache, and
the stomachache for a week afterwards, as
a penalty for indulging in such an exor.
bitant dinner, all prayed for, for my
Christmas day, was the privilege of see.
ing them eat it. Our soldiers, eating oys.
ters, chickens, turkeys, and ducks; pies,
cakes, apples, and grapes; sitting down to
table, and eating like civilized men who
have wives and sisters who care for them,
that Providence who compelled me to
behold so much of their misery, should
not have defrauded me of the sight of this
Christmas cheer.
But why fret? I am not wholly de.
frauded. Can't see them? OF course
can. am going to do what " own cores
pondents" perpetually do, with the small
exception of making my own erpose in ad
vance, which they never do. Why CAM
behold this Christmas dinner with
clairvoyant eyes, and described it just as
brilliant army correspondents who write
letters from the front" describe battles
You know that they always say we" and
u.s. when they speak of the soldiers
You would suppose that they were indit
ing their words under the very nose of the
cannon, with grape shot and bullets whis
Ting and cuzzening through the hair Of
their heads, while the truth is that they
are sitting in somebody's chamber at least
twenty miles away, with their feet cooked
IN tbo o;r ond n pocoot;o ,ooor,oL n :, -
smoking between their teeth. o these
army correspondents, became acquainted
with them "down in Dixie" and discov.
cred them to be of an unique race. III
devote whole chapter to their virtues
and their vices some day. "Nice young
men" they are in New York. / haven't q
doubt, but often most shabby rascals wher
they walk seeded soil.
But the Christmas dinner! AS | look
toward Stanton hospital, what do | see
Long rows Of tables, covered with snowy
cloths; glistening with snowy ware; lader
with every delicacy; long rows of mer
with bandaged heads; arms in sings
men without legs without arms faces
wasted with disease but over all spreads
a moonlight of joy. They are cared for to
day. if not by the women they love- still
women. Mrs Lane of Indiana, Mrs Trum
Fbull and Mrs Kellogg of Illinois, superin
tended this dinner. | see them moving
about, caring for all. Mrs. Lane, a petite
graceful woman, with broad forehead
royal with the truth" and clear, open
brown eyes, which involuntarily tell you
how good and true woman she is and
Mrs. Trumbull and Mrs. Kellogg, tall, dig