Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1870-05-10
Remarks of Hon. A. Il, Il. Stuart.

On being called to preside over the meeting
held in the Court house on Saturday night,
April 3Oth, Mr.. Stuart spoke, substantially as
follows: S. N
We have met together tonight to give for
NAL and united expression to the feeling which
fills every heart. -
An appalling calamity has befallen, not mere
ly the metropolis of our State, but the State
itself. [ might even say, it has assumed ma
tionai proportions, because citizens of other
and distant States and counties have shared
the fate of our own. No such disaster has
bowed down the hearts of the people of Vir-
GINA, since the destruction of the Theatre in
1911, when more than seventy OF the best and
noblest of our land persisted in the flames
Although during the war which recently des-
olated our country, we became familiar with
sorrow and acquainted with grief, no one of
the calamities which we were then called on to
endure, fell with such stunning effect on the
popular heart, as that which we have now as
sembled to deplore. afa
When our friends persisted on the battle
field, We knew that, impelled by sense of duty,
their minds were made up, and their nerves
braced for every emergency. They knew, at
every step. they were marching to glory OF
the grave" But the catastrophe of Wednes-
uey ldSt was WuoNy untApecteu. Eedcelui ciL-
liens, of all ages, conditions, and colors, as
sembled in the Capitol of the State, for peace
| ful purposes, were suddenly and without mo.
ment's warning, precpitated in an indiscrimi-
nate mass of rubbish and dead and mangleo
bodies More than fifty persons-some oil
them, among the brightest and most honoreo
and useful of Virginia sons, persisted in the
ruins, and probably one hundred and fifty were
seriously injured. ao1e
Such terrible visitation naturally calls fo1
an expression of our grief for the dead, anC
our heartfelt sympathy and coincidence with
| their bereaved families and friends. We know
| that no human power can soothe the anguish
of broken hearts; but words Of sympathy
| fifty spoken, are precious to the afflicted It
proper therefore, that we should meet togeth
er, and offer the tribute Of our coincidence. =
But we should go still further We should re-
member that this awful dispensation has faller
on persons of all conditions of life-on ths
poor as well as ON the rich. We should no
forget that, in many cases. whole families have
lost, not merely a husband or a father or son
but their stay and support-him to whom they
looked, to supply their daily bread. ats'
In cases like this we should not limit our
selves to words Of sympathy. We must show
that We have not merely hearts to feel, bu
| hands to do. We must let cur kindly feeling
exhibit itself in substantial form, by minis
tering to the wants of the widows and orphans
Of those who have persisted, and to the com
fort apd sQsteaance Of the wounded and suffer
ing. '<- ~
This is one of the occasions On which we fee
| the inadequacy Of words to give expression t
the emotions which gil our hearts. | shall
therefore forbear from any attempt to do SO, ant
content myself with this imperfect presentation
Of the objects of this meeting, and leave it t.
you to decide what is proper to be done.