Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1866-05-14
LOCAL NEWS.
PHANrASYLUjN; NETTING

I IN this city. The Church was filled with a
highly respectable audience oflsdies and gen
tlemen, all Of whom seemed to be deeply inter
ested in the cause Of the charity they came for
ward to aid The meeting was presided over,
at the request Of the ladies, by Edgar Snow
den, and, at their request, also, Lawrence B.
Taylor acted as Secretary. Mayor Latham
was, also, on the platform and assisted in the
collections that were afterwards taken UP. AT
ter singing by the choir and an opening prayer
| by Rev. Mr.. Biting, the report of the Mana
gers Of the Asylum and Female Free School,
was read, accompanied with some eloquent
predatory remarks, by Mr.. Taylor The orator
Of the occasion, HON. HENRY a. WISE,
of Virginia was then introduced to the meet
ing and he proceeded toSaddressth eaudienccfor
and earnest manner, urging the claims of. the
| Orphans upon the consideration of the public,
and exhorting all to be liberal in their efforts to
sustain the noble institutions whose cause
he had come to plead before the people Of Alex
andria He paid beautiful com piment to our
city and its inhabitants, referring to many in
teresting associations and recoections connect
ed with the town and its neigbborhood, and re-
ferring with proud satisfaction to Alexandria
as the cherished child of its loving mother
Incidentally, Nh. Wise referred to the situation
of the country-to the privations, distresses,
and partial ruin that had fallen upon our State
and to his own position before, during and
since the war We give tie opening remarks
Of Mr.. Wise in full: Il E5<IE.E&z
Ladies and ,Gentlenen, Friends ant Fsl7oar-
Citizens of the City Of Alexandria, IN Pt'-
ginia:
/ earnestly wished to visit your honored and
loved old city. 7 fondly desired to come again
to her temples and affairs ard homes, and lay
my head upon her bosom; to weep with her
tears, to sigh with her sympathies and suffer
iogs; and, above all, to gather strength by
touching again the mother earth OF her Sacred
Memories.
In my early youth she lay on the wayside of
ny path whist pursuing professional studies,
and Outlines Of old detained me most warmly
by her kindness and hospitality.
It was here [ formed one Of the most cher
ished and fraternsl intimacies of all my asso-
Citations in lite, with one who has illustrated the
city Of his birth by adjoining the Fine Arts OF
the city Of his adoption the Alexandria Of
Old Virginia the Old Rome of Italy.
In after years, when the young painter was
in his studio, and |, a young lawyer, was in
Congress Hahn days when mighty men ut
tered music strains Of high debate to the light
of knowledge, like the statue near Thaoes
when struck by the rays of the rising sun. l
used to delight to leave the hot-house OF the
Capitol, to cool the fevered brow Of politics
and soothe its angry temper, in the calm, holy
quiet of this ancient city, once OF the Capitol
Inc District. .-5
1t was here that I loved to learn and muse
upon the stories of the home-life OF him who
when President of the Country Of which he
was Father, said to minister of France that
he was Born, SIR, IN q land Of La6erty and
that he had 'early learned its value 7, 1t was
inssthe atmosphere of this neighborhood, illu-
mined all around by the sacred lamps OF the
oracIes at Gunston and at Mt. Vernon that |
learned the lessons of Bills of Rights and of
that clear serene wisdom which taught the
moderation to mitigate the effects Of the con-
ficts Of men in foreign or domestic war, the
virtue to compose strifes and the polite mag
nanimity TO proclaim Peace and fortily il on
the secure basis Of Supreme Organic Civil law
and order
And could not forget later, and the last
scene in which | appeared before an audience
of Alexandria, to struggle for the constitutional
law and liberty which those lessons taught Then
this now sad city had returned to the bosom Of
the owing mother of us all:--good, DID, entire,
,tnconouered Virginia, Of ever blessed memory
and renown! Since then, war, dire, civil war,
has hurled its hurricanes over the land old
things have been swept away, and nea0 things
stand, or start up rather, amidst wreck and
ruins Wreck Of what? Ruins of what?
Not, hope and pray, of Civil Liberty, OF
Constitutional Freedom and Of Mans right of
self government in the Federal Republic OF
the United States OF America
But, my friends, neither these "reminiscences,
nor haloWed, nor strange, nor sweet, nor sad
memories, and no motives of speaking to the
past, or present, or future, brought me to Al
exandria to repeat the story OF Orphanage here
which I have twice told in Richmond. L had
declined the requests of Alexandria as of other
places, but at last was compelled, or rather obi
eed, to obey her call She repeated it in a way
which was irresistible. I excused myself to
her on the ground that I was, as | still am,
paroled prisoner of war: under orders not to
depart without leave from the limits OF the
Department which held me in custody aud con-
fined me to its limits. Immediately, as soon
as this excuse was offered, woman-wo manlike,
with the goodness and the grace Of diplomatic
tact which woman only can employ, caught
the excuse by its own lever and made Of it the
Plea which brought NE here, per force, Vi con-
citate, though not Vi ct arms Woman who
was in war ali heroine; Woman who was in
the hospitals OF the armies, nursing angel:
Woman! was a volunteer messenger OF grace:
and she unbarred my prison door Of a pent up
Utica, her influence unbound my limits like
lanbent flames did the burning wythes' from
around the vigorous limbs Of the yet unshorn
Nazaritc, and set me, captive, free to come!
\ lady committee Of Alexandra visited Wash;
i0gton, unknown and unannourced to me, and
the result is disclosed BY these extracts irom
their letter to me:
ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 4th, 1866.
| ';Hon Henry 4. Wtsc.
'SiR: You will perhaps be somewhat sur
| ,r;coJ ar tho enclosed t!1oern7it" from Head