Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-05-11
A Day OF Mourning iu Hichmond- Remarks
OF CHIEF Justice Chase.

|
RICHMOND. May 4.-To-day the church
es were filed and the city presented a Sab
bath-like appearance
! In the United States Circuit Court the
Chief Justice of the United States, in re-
Spouse to the resolutions of the Richmond
| Bar regarding the late calamity, said /:
Human emotions are but poorly express
ed by words. When the first vague M
mors of the terrible event In this city,
which HIS been 80 fifty named The Great
Calamity went through the land few
days ago, all hearts felt shock like that
of a sudden and awful personal bereave-
ment. Then as the tidings came more dis
tinctly over the wires, and the fearful dis
aster took shape and form in the minds of
the people, it seemed for a time to Cypress
all hearts like nightmare; the pulse Of
life throbbed heavily, and human utter
ance failed under the crushing sense of
sorrow which pervaded the land, but soon
the currents of feeling began to flow, and
now for several days heartfelt expressions
of coincidence and substantial manifeeta-
tions of sympathy have been flowing to-
ward Richmond like great tide, and no
right-mindee and true-hearted man can
help feeling this vast development of good
will so strikingly devoid of everything
like sectional or party feeling, as one Of
those CLEANS of radiance which, in Gods
good providence, 80 often brightens the
darkest clouds of human grief When
two drys since we took our seats upon this
bench our eyes and hearts alike missed ia
miliar faces from the bar. Let US thank
God that those whose voices were oftenest
heard here yet survive. May the Great
Physician comfort their sorrowing house.
holds, and give them speedy and complete
restoration.
But there are other members Of the bar
who will never again join in honorable
contention. One has gone in the ripened
fullness of honored years; another with
the distinction of his profession clustering
thickly upon him, having already won
these heights Of public estimation from
which the ascent to the highest seemed
easy and sure; another, younger, yet ma
ture, treading with firm steps towards the
path of usefulness and honor. How terri
bly, does such a calamity as this rebuke
our vain expectations: how impressive
does it admonish every one # us to look
beyond the shadows of time to the realities
of eternity. 1t is said that among those
dying, crushed under that mass of ruins,
there were some who could yet exchange
a few words with their companions in that
fearful place. None of them which have
been related by the rescued have impressed
me so much, "a that of q mangled and
broken sufferer, who still found strength
to eXclaim, "Oh, grave, where is thy vic
tory: OH death, where is thy sting -
What triumph was that-what a testi-
mony to the Incompatible worth of
christian faith. So in the very depths of
this awful distress and anguish open
springs of human sympathy and foun-
tains of sublimest heavenly comfort Let
us take these lessons to our hearts This
is day of humiliation and prayer. The
churches will be filled with worshippers.
Let us carry into them not merely the bur-
den of sorrow, but also the consultations of
faith ever remembering that all is of God.
If he but waive his hand, the rains collect,
the winds blow shrill and loud, till with a
smile of light on sea and land, 10 he looks
back from the parting cloud. His will be
be done"
Intelligence was received to-day, from |
Mayor Fox, of Philadelphia, that addition |
al funds had been raised there for the suf- |
ferinp here