The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-05-25

done whaEwe could, anu all We cOulu, un-
der the circumstances, Is
SATISFYING REWARD
to the honest heart for its wcllintentioned
efforts, whatever may be the result OF those
efforts.
congratulate the ladies OF the lakewood
Memorial Association to-day on the pre-
sence and cooperation OF so many OF
THE uoSoRED FRATERErTIEs OF RICHMOND.
GIVING countcnaucc and encouragement TO
q work Which has hitherto been prosecuted
nv Won under circumstances OF discourage
ment almost amounting to popular mar
ference and disfavor. But to-day you nave
full amends for past apparent coldness anu
neglect.
Here is present the honored fraternity or
Ancient, Free and Accepted hasons, lug
knights Tcmplar, The Order OF ODD ell
lows, the Druids, and Rcd Men, the len.
nera1ce organizations, and LAST, DuL not
least, the Young and growing Order OF the
Knights of Pythias.
No occasion in my knowledge OF Rlch-
mond has ever been distinguished ny SO
large and imposing display OF the great
brotherhood Of rraternitieS rs the presen'.
The Masonic Order stands alone, IKE
some ancient tower, preserving It's sFnlihe-
trv. strength, and beauty amid all the alter
nations and changes around it. The very
storms that have swept away every Vestlge
of other architectural monuments nave
onY heaped the sands and pebbles OF sue
ceeding generations around ITS base, holu-
ing it 10y tighter grip to lis deepiy-em-
bedded ouDdation-burIed too decp lot Inc
irving eyes of the present generation. we
nncoyer our heads in the presence Of its
hoary antiquity.
This honored fraternity, sustained by 2
CORDS of gallant and courtly Knights Tenn
Dlar, and supported by the whole sister
hood of kindred fraternities in our city, has
been intrusted with the work Of laying the
cornerstone Of the monument. May the
OCCASION serve to unite by q stronger bona
of union the various orders here present,
between whom there is no Jealousy or IL
valrv; and As the ciamberlng VINE muir
laces itself in the crevices OF the rocks, arc
interweaves and entwines Itself around
the rougher projections of the ola mohu-
mental pile, giving strength ana aaofhnleu'
TO the massive column, 50 may these young
o. fraternities strengthen and adorn tiEle'
honored FreemaSonry-imparting beauty
and receiving support. And as AL THESE
Orders occupy 4 common platform OF
friendship, ignoring AL creeds, and polltics'
and natiouaities, may tllcir presence W.
day tend to ailav all partisan strife ana Sec
Iinrnl feeling, and unite us all IN i com
mon sorrow for the dead ana cou1'
mon sympathy for the bereaved living
and mas we 80 hence from these lneEoriaI
solcmnItics and services, with TINS monu'
,ncntuI-stone planted Is Il witness between
us ali. that kenceforth we will be united
and nnr>i~tent in our efforts to avert and
{; ward of the recurrence OF such tragic aud
! bloody scenes as have given occasion Tor
memorial days like the present in Virginia.
, God of Mercy, speed the day when
nswords shall be beaten into plough
share, and spears into pruning hooks -
when universal Righteousness shall pre-
vail in all llnds, Htrom the rising OF the
| sun TO the going down thereof" and when
| e." the nations shlll learn war no more"
Address al 5zajor STILES.
; Major Robert stiles said
Not many days ago, and not far from this
SPOT. an eminent surgeon OF this city per-
formed one of those daring and INA: yellous
operations in which The saw and the knife
enter the very sanctuary Of the soul ana
reform and enlarge the cramped quarters
Of the mind.
The subject was one of the inmates OF
the Central J.Inatic Asylum-a miserable
negro. whose ilti0Cy was So abjcct that ne
hu! never been able to give any account OF
himself. No one knew who he was or
whence he came. save that he was OF the
Ipayiurx of some one Of the many military
hospitals that sloughed OH from the surface
Of the state after the war. His skull show
ed lriLhtful indentltlOn, and the eXpe-
riencCd eye Of the doctor suspected that the
teeDeulng and daEkenin@ ldtocy, which had
nuH lclt scarce mind enough to Yltai'Ie ms
hu,iv, dated from some accident which had
I.l-r h. hi
The wonderful pain and consciousness.
killer was administered, the operation per-
formed, and the subject put III ward
alone.
After the lapse of the proper time the
doctor reenteted the apartment OH tiptoe,
and bent nquiringy over his sleeping pa
ticnt. While he was gazing at him, the
Door negro opened bis eyes, and the sur
rcon saw at glance thai Gods image
beamcd again from them. The doctor did
not speak, nut waited breaihlessly To catch
the first word that should tremble from lips
sealed for long, long years--tne llr,t thought
that might reveal something OF this dead
that Wsls alive again.
Oh, men anu women OF the South, NV
ing soldiers OF the South-hearken what
that thought and that word was: Where
is the army to day: Yesterday it was at
Manassas
What question How it tears open our
hearts aud rcnds these graves. Who Won ID
volunteer to answer it! l would not for
worlds undertake to tell al the sad story to
that Weakened soul; but l would lead him
here, - lead him tcndery, almost reyerent-
ly-and repeating his questlon-Was the
army at Manassas yesterday? 1t is here to-
day-here about Richmond, the city it de-
Tended SO long and well, III firm and silent
ranks, which they will neyer break until
the roll-call Of the judgment relieves them
from their post.
But / am here to-day, my friends, to
press the question OF this waking soul, and
e. take yuur answer-if not to him, then
for all those who lie here, and for
lis who fought, but fell not with them.
Where is the army in your hearts
to day? 1t was first in his who
asked the question, lie did not ask tor
father, mother, child, or wife, but for the
army. 1t was fist in his hcart-how stands
it in yours? Taking the deep meaning OF
the question, look 1t the sad past before
YOU answer, look 1T the strange present
and the long future; look within your
selves, and look upon these graves then
your answer will test tho clearness OF your
thought, the staunchneSS OF your man
hood, the stature Of your soul. He who
is able to place and to keep the memory OF
the southern army where Gods truth
would place it isa hero indeed; for Lee, the
conqueror, is moulding laws and history,
and, in our case, even society itself, IL
make treason odio,ls, and t. bury traitors in
oblivion. Yes, and the world stands with
the victor in this purpose, ltell you there i
power here -ail-perya ling poweS-and we
cannot escape it. We must feel it. and con
sclousiy resis., or be unconsciouSly swept
away by the torrent which III this southern
land has changed almost the very face o
nature itself.
Ii you rise superior 10 these influence:
there stands our nature, under which many