Washington telegraph., 1864-01-20

ihc South, fred with indignation at the infa
nous effort of President Lincoln to coerce into
obedience the people Of a sister State, al osc
with unanimous consent, cast off the ties
which had voluntarily bound them to the
United Stntes, ard few to arms-when the
first gun at Fort Sumter flashed the SIN, ulder
ing fires Of a peoples resentment, into an in
stan taneous fame of war. from the Potomac to
the wide prairies of Western Texas-when
men bred in affluence and luxury, rushed side
by side TO the field in gathering hosts, with
the hardy sons of toll, and shared the same
lowly pallets around the camp fires, forgetting
all distinctions in the Absorption Of a holy
cause-you presented to the world picture Of
still higher moral sublimity.
The nations of the world obscrye.; it, and
across the wide Atlantic foated back the
echoes of their wonder aud admiration. Here
after in the models of womanly virtue, self
sacrifice and heroism, held up for the example
of their rising youth, Penelope spinning
amongst her maids will be half forgotten-the
Spartan mother giving her shield to her son
AMI saying, return with it or upon it," will
be but commonplace. The mother of the
Gracchi will be no longer classical. Our own
women of the South have excel'ed all Greek e.
Roman fame.
Had the enemy had eyes to have seen aught
besides profit and loss, they might have seen
It too and been wise in time. But they could
not. He who is bora blind has 10 conception
of the beauties of mountain, sky aud river
The man deaf from his birth can never know
the spirit-stirriug sound OF the drum, nor the
soft strains of harmony. The people without
gallaptry, or n higher moral sense than self
interest, can never know of the irresistible in
huence Of woman's courage and fOrttuie over
the h. arts Of chivalrous people, or under.
stand the sacrifices which that people are viii
ling to make Cor honor and independence q
is thus the low and narrow hearted ever over
reach themselves. Thay miscalculate thu cf-
fects of influences and motives which thev
have never felt nor conceive /, aai those clu-
ments are left ont Of their plans. They are
blown up with their own petards. Had they
been able to estimate the herosm Of our wO-
men, and its effects upon the hearts of South
ern men, they wouldihavc withheld their hands
They would have despairel in view Of that
long b, fore their personal courage would
have quailed from the shock OF our armed
men.
You have done nobly. Ii delights Us 10 con-
template these things. T. transport ourselves
a century into thc..futurc, and look back nj the
present. To see the glory which will sur
round the memory of the women of oil. All
that is now..rough and unpleasant will be for
gotten in history. The stones and stumbling
blocks will be no longer visible-the ravine,
and rugged iedges will be lost in tue distance
From that stand point the fame of our women
will shine with halo altogether lovely Flu
ture ages will catch an exaltation in b.holding
il, which will inspire new herSsin ia the
daughters of future centuries, when Rome and
Greece are forgotten.
Yes. nobly indeed. Many horn ia wealth.
and used only to incidence, have felt the true
woman's nature arise within them, which
makes all women equal, and have cast aside
their luxuries with joy. and gloried in thein
privatious. Many who were poor, ami t.
whom husbands and sons were ali the j,y OF life
TO cheer and reward them in their daily tolls
have sent them forth with tears and choking
sighs, but with blessings and words Of encour-
ment May God reward it! The children
you have borne them must be free
All that was but the beginning. From gar
rets and closets, and lumber of smoke houses
came forth the cid fragments of long forgotten
looms and spinni, g-wheels, and a new sound
arose in the land. "A melancholy humming with
a somewhat fierce and energetic close, like the
death song Of the shell-we all knew il well IN
our youth. 1t was the sound of the spinning
wheel. 1t arose from the city and the village,
the planters mansion and the settlers cabin
1t was low sonnd truly, but could the enemy
have been gifted to hear lis still small voice
through the din of arms, they might have read
its terrible meaning. 1t is this. '.We are the
true amazons who fight thus with our sons and
bi biothers, and lo-ers. Not on horseback with
bows and arrows, and tight breasts cut off;
but in womanly modesty; WITH prayerfnl hearts,
We do nobler battle. We enable them to laugh
to scorn their dependency on your Lowell
Mills. We clothe them, and uphold their
hands by our cheerful submission to our share
of the ills you have brought upon rs The
contest is ours also. Behold how We maintain
it,"
Time wore AWAY. The war was prolonged
All experienced, over and over again, the .hope
deferred, that =" maketh the heart SICK You
most of all. Your passive endurance, unre-
lieved by the stir Of martial events, was the
heavier burden. Often the lightning flash along
the wires struck upon your hearts with blow
more terrible than death, wringing them with
extreme of mortal agony. You have bowed your
heads to the stroke, IN resignation TO God, not in
submission to the enemy, Still. your courage
has risien to sustain the survivors. Still the
busy fingers have been piled. Still, the wards
Of the hospitals have found you minstering
amidst loathsome wounds disease and death
Still, you have hurled defiance at the enemy and
breathed your spirits into the hearts of sterner
man. Still, you have continued to send other
dear ones from your households. Still, you have
continued to hear the gaunt wolf of hunger,
bowling nearer and nearer. and have trembled
for the infants al your fresdcs. Still, the tales
of the baI barous infany Of the enemy towards
your unfortunate sisters within their power have
paled your cheeks day 6y day, but your hearts
hav taa nl ba,