Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-06-20

IN the HoHnALhA Auu the ElGlOe.LAhB1NH
among she WOunded---IncIdents--
periences.
A very large audience crowded the First
Presbyterian Church last night to listen to
the reports of gentlemen selected five weeks
ago to 20 to the army Of the Potomac in be-
half of the Christian people of Cleveland.
Tbs house was filed to oveIAowing, the
sisles and doors being crowded with eager
listeners.
Mr.. Goodrich first addressed the audience,
giving detailed and rapid account of the
kind of labor he performed with others Of the
Christian Commission at White House.
White House having been the point to which
the wounded were forwarded from the front,
Mr.. Goodrich had ample opportunities to
labor among them. He stated briefly the
kind of labor performed At that point in
ministsring to the men, supplying them with
the many little comforts which come only
through the benevolent IabOrs of the various
commissions at that point. The first thing
10 be done for the wounded is to provide
food and remove the bandsgts. He CON
cIuded by euIogizing the courage and patriot
ism of the armies Of the Republic. Such IN
complaining heroes he had never seen before.
Mr.. Whitley followed Mr.. Goodrich in TO.
marks that showed the mans heart was
proportioned to his large body. He had
evidently been greatly affected in his Iabors
among the wounded, and had done right
Christian service.
Mr.. Whitley spoke of questioning the
wounded men in order to find out their spirit.
He said they all felt confident that General
Grant would eveHtuslIy triumph. Tho SOL
diers unto whom the Sanitary Commission
ministered were filed with gratitude toward
their benefsctors.
Mr.. Page described his Iabors in Lincoln
Hospital at Washington. The work to be
done there Is chiefly that of assisting the
wounded men in those things in which they
cannot help themselves. There are many
little delicaeies which wounded man Graves
vsich can only be supplied by sympathisiDg
friends. Tbore are letters to be writton fol
msn who no longer can write, having lost an
Erm. There are feverish brows to cool. There il
reading to be done, and Christian consolation
to be administered. There are hundreds Oi
things which a man, enlisted in tho work
can do, and in such labors Mr.. Page busted
himself in the Washington hospitals. Ho
declared that the soldiers sppreciats the
sympathy shown for them by tho people oi
the North, and that there is strong reIigi-
Gus sentiment among them, not an infdei be-
ing found among them, many of them hav'
ing once been Sunday school children
Several affecting incidents were related BY
Mr.. Page.
Next followed Mr.. Monteith, who, though
coming late, held his audience in breath
less interest by the narration of few of his
experiences in the front of the army. The
audience were made to feel what groat trials
and sacrifices our soldiers go through under
the rapid movements of Grant. An army
which can be fighting or marching twenty
hours in tWenty-four, for weeks in success
sion, must be wonderful army, but this was
the kind of work done during Mr.. MOa-
teith's stay with the army. He narrated his
experiences in religious meeting among the
contrsbRnds, and rehesrsed some of the
simple but profoundly religious words which
those poor beings give expression to in their
first emancipation from bondage. They
prayed for our army and for the people and
for the poor piokets. The cOlOrsd brethren
regarded rebeldom as hell, and prayed God
"to ride 'roun' hell and glib it's mighty sha-
kin up"
Mr.. MOntsith's description of the manner
in which the wounded are cared for as they
como bleeding and grOaning from tho fiery
edge of battle, was vivid and painfully inter-
esting.
1t is evident that the men who undertake
as a labor of Christian love the work of as
sisting sick and wounded soldiers, assume
no easy charge. They are compelled to face
many things essentially disagreeable. They
require themselves to do things which at
home they would shrink from doing.
The experiences of Mr.. Goodrsoh, White
10y, Page, MOnteith and others show that their
hearts have been touched by the sights of
the hospital and battlefield. They are
moved to eontinue in their work. 1t is no
bic work aud should, as it does, receive the
special encouragement Of the city OF CIsve-
land. Those who contributed last evening
to send another delegation to the army may
feel the happy conviction that they are do
ing something to save life and mitigate sOr-
rcw whore such labor is tho highest and
nobIest duty. II sIl our citizens could look
within the hospitals at Washington, their
hearts and hands wouldb be nervsd to new en-
ergy and patriotism.
Atihe close of the meeting collection
was tnken up to further the good work.