Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1870-05-10

Il
That tired souls may smile asleep, i,
ogq And, having been in heaven awhile, =
May wake tomorrow with Thy smilei 73
The Mass Meeting in Richmond
| Among the speeches at the Mass Meeting in
Richmond, on the 2Sth of April, the day after
the sad calamity in the Capitol building, we
copy the Governors and the prayer of the
Rev. Mr.. Hoge. Hs 3a el z sledA
s5 os GOV. WALKER s SPEECH aids
Fellow Citizens-You are gathered upon an
occasion more solemn, distressing and mourn
full than you or ever witnessed before A great
public calamity has befallen US. In the midst
fife we are in death. Yesterdays sun rose
bright and clear upon city happy and joyous,
and set upon city draped in mourning, the
evening air rent with lamentations and wailing.
Fellow Citizens, L have no heart to talk now,
for there are occasions, and this is one of them,
when the heart is too full of sorrow for utter
ance. Some of the nearest friends | had on
earth--friends whose memory | will cherish
while life and recollection last-have been strick-
en- down in moment. [ mourn no kindred,
| but [ mourn that which is higher, more sacred
and more dear-tbe loss of sincere, generous,
| high souled and manly friendship. Er;
| 1t is eminently meet and proper that we
| should meet together this day and humby re-
cognize In this appropriate manner the terri
| BILE visitation of mysterious Providence I
pray God my fellow citizens, that during the
remainder of my life and of your life our eyes
may never again rest upon scene so appalling
and heart-rending as that we witnessed here
yesterday. Where all was life and hope, over
| fifty of our fellow citizens, in moment, with
| out warning or preparation, were suddenly
| plunged into eternity.
1t was indeed, my fellow citizens one of those
| awful sights which rends the heart, which Ian
guage fails to describe, and which has to be
witnessed to be appreciated. On solemn oc-
| casion ike this it is fitting that we should ap-
| peal to the Throne of Grace for aid and succor
| in this our time of aff1iction
DIR. HoGE's PRAYER
With lowy reverence of spirit, and hearts fill
ed with sadness and awe, we come into Thy
presence D God, most high and holy We
come to humble ourselves under Thy mighty
hand to acknowledge that clouds and dark ness
surround Thee; that we cannot measure the
depths of Thy infinite DEGREES, or fathom the
wisdom of Thine inscrutable providences
Enable US, then, to feel our belplessness, our
ignorance, our fra1tv. When we cannot ex-
plain the reasons of Thy dispensations may we
be silent when We cannot comprehend may we
adore. s.. -
Once more, o Lord, the solemn voice of Thy
providence unites with the voice of Thy word
to admonish US of the transitory nature of all
earthly GOOu. In the SuQUe0 ana CruSl1ng
calamity which has visited us Thou has sent
bereavement not only upon many households
but upon this whole community-upon our en-
| tire Commonwealth !; and while Thou are teach
! ing US so impresslvely that here nothing is Sc
| cure, nothing permanent, help US, We beseech
| Thee, to look. away from earth with its unsub-
stantial and dissolving scenes to the world
whose joys fade not, whose treasures perish
not, and whose inhabitants, freed from sorrow
! o,1
eternal.
| In Thee, 0 merciful Father, all the fountains
of consolidation are to be found. Thou canst
| help when all other resources fail, and, there
| fore, we come to Thee bearing in the arms of
our faith and love and Christian sympathy
those who have been so sorey smitten and af-
| 1icted by this calamity.
| Lord, look in pity upon those over whose
| homes the shadow of death has swept, and
whose hearts because of fresh bereavement are
like open graves; and as angels OF old descend
ed into the empty sepulchre, SO may the angels
of mercy and consolation come into these yearn-
ing hearts, filing them with Heavens own
peace e- r. e q7--. e.a 9- 9tiIGsr
Behold, o God, in all the plenitude of Thy
/ compassion, bereaved parents, and broken
hearted wives, and mourning children, and de-
solate relatives and friends, and magnify the
riches of Thy grace in imparting to them con-
ISOLATION equal to the greatness OF their grief, In
maafesting Thyself to them as their very pre-
| sent help in time of trouble and as their tender
and plying Father, chastising not in anger but
in love. 'e-i
And while we pray for those who weep over
the dead; we remember those who weep around
the couches of the living, now. lying. wounded
| and bruised while those who love them with
speechless solicitude await the issue. Lord, we
beseech Thee, add not to the long catalogue of
| the bereaved-spare useful lives; raise up those
who are bowed down; bless the remedies used
for their restoration and grant that in the land
Of the living they may long walk before the Lord,
praising and glorifying Him.
: Our Father, in the midst of grief and tears
we bless Thee for the many drops of mercy
mingled in our bitter cup. We thank Thee for
the escape of SO many who were exposed to a
common danger and DEATH
How adorable in many individual instances
were Thy interpretations. May all those thus
wonderfully rescued acknowledge Thy Provi-
dental hand in their deliverance, and feel the
infuite prosperity which evermore must con-
strain them to devote their spared lives to God.
the kind preseryer, and to devote all their days
to His service and glory.
And now we beseech Thee, O God, may the
solemn lessons of this Providence be deeply i'm
pressed upon the minds and hearts OF our whole
people-especially during this week which Is
yet to witness so many scenes OF sadness as
mourners go through our streets following, one,
and another, ard another of the loved and lost
to the place appointed for the living
So teach us to number our days that we may
apply our hearts unto wisdom; Teach US to
live not only in expectation of death but in pre-
0 naration for it, so that whether the silver cord
be suddenly loosed and the golden bowl unex-
pectedly broken, or whether our change shal
!. ! come with long premonition, it may find us pre-
pared; with our peace with God; in perfect
charity with all mankind with our souls safe
a in the hands Of their Redeemer and ready t.
4 enter upon Eternal life and blessings.
!, And unto God, most High, Father, Son, Hol!
Ghost, will we give the glory, evermore. Amen
At the close Of the prayer the vast vast %altitud
! NJ. Kelley, Esq, and others.