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


NEGLECT on the part of the ladies themselves.
They have adopted every device, ana re-
sorted To all feasible and practicable plans
to raise the funds, but have failed 10 secure
a sum sufficient to defray the expense OF
erectino n massive aud colossal mohu-
mental pile every way suited to The de-
mands of the occasion.
APPROPRIATIONS TO THE CAUSE.
Ills almost Illuminating to reveal now III
rio has been obtained by these ladies IN re-
snonse to their urgent and ott-repeated ap-
mails for assistance from abroad. Inc ioi-
lowing is a list of donations and contrlDu-
tions
Appropriated by the State Legislature OF ooo %
RI tie Legislature OF the state Of Geor- ~, "a
rEH. .t;si,,ute Of ;iiissssppi IL: 81
! i,on.ted Dy rownatan Lodge Nc. NSia- ~
BY ftiendsh'P LoGse, no; lO........,... II SO
Making In all cum total s2T1 81
| ~ the whole amount received from all
| sources i'll the way Of appropriations rom
State Legislatures and i'll the way OF spcclai
donations, and outside of the system OF d.
rect agencies employed by the ASSOCIATION
| for raising funds at home.
| By the annual subscriptions OF the mem
| bers Of the association, and by the plans
| and agencies which they have cmpl"yed,.
for the most part in the eastern portion OF
the city, have the ladies raised the iund5
with which they have prosecuted thc'r
| work till the present hour. They expended
s. 900 in erecting 10, 800 heaL-boardS; ana
after other necessary expenditures III inV-
cling the graves Aid arranging tue
grounds, they found but little more man
81 300 in the treasury, which they 1T fisL
determined to eXpend III erecting sra,i.lc
| shaft, to stand Us Il simple but i'stlh@ MT
| mortal of their devotion to TIE memor! OF
thn sixteen thousand Confederate soldiers
| in lakewood. >,
All praise and honor to this noble banu
of patriotic women They have done Wh,'t
| they could, and il Jesus, the Great le1ch
| or. could speak in terms of commentator
| of the memorial act OF the woman VINO
! broke the alabiStcr box OF ointment ana
| anointed his head IN token u her allection,
| saving she hath done what she could,
may we not. in humble commem ora'lon
of this act" say the same OF the ladies' OF
| This Memorial Association They, too.
have done what they could y; and further
saw, that wherever the story of woman.s
| devotion to the Lost Cause is rcpeated shall
this also be told, to their credit and praise,
| They have done what they could.
| The hands and hearts that nave planned
| ana provided for the unprctondlnI mcmo-
| rial tribute Wn.ci Is TO be lounuGu t0uAY
| would, il they could have commanded the
| means. have lald il foundation deep and
| broad, on which they would have reared
grand and imposing monumental pie,
| adorned with "storied urn and animated
bust" and with the marble statues OF our
military leaders, above which po!!sncu
and giittering column SHOULD! nave lowered
| In. ,,,tI IL :.
stafuc of that model man and model Gene
raj. the eycr.to-Dc-rcmcmDcT and never
| forgotten Robert +. Lee, who, Ike the
| Father of his Country, was great III peace,
great in war, and greatest OF all IN The
hearts Of his countrymcn."
But, it is not the magnitude Of the gift
which determines its value ; it is the heart,
the intention. the motive, whlcn Is embo-
died in the gift, that invests il with its sig
niticance and its moral worth ana, eSt-
mating this memorial Offering by this stand
ard OF valuation, it SURPRISES all our powers
of computation.
Touched by. The magic hand OF III sc we love-
A triRe will Of consequence appear:
A spirc OF grass, flower, II pin. It g.o7e.
Il scrap OF paper wlI become most DEAR
THIS TESTIMONIAL OF AFFECTION,
plain and simple though it be, is invested
with all the elements that impart value
and sacreduesS TO a memorial Offering.
tour work, honored. patriotic women OF
Virginia, has its cOmpcn >@tion>. Your
tolls, and acknowledgements ana anXlelleS
! in the prosecution Of that work have bcc1
great, and would have paralyZed your
| efforts had you not been animated and sus-
| tanned by those principles which lie at the
| foundations Of all that is noble III woman,
| all that is valuable in friendship, all that is
sacred in patriotism, and all that is emo
! bling in humanity. You must look with
| pride upon the work You have done and
| the conscious sense that YOU have done
what you could is Il reward III itself Of lu-
Speak.ble value. But, III addition to this
| sweet, conscious sense OF having done what
YOU could to save these grafes from Il COM
| mon destruction, you have the praises and
commentators OF grateful people, scat
| tered all over these southern States, who
will ever cherish Il tender recollection Of
| your generous devotion 10 graves that 9TH
| erwi>e would have remained forever un-
known.
More than this: You will receive the
| gratitude Of The generations 10 follow Us,
| In the years to come, men and women will
| gather around this monument, and with
| fearful eyes and thr0bbing hearts will read
the Inscriptions chiscled upon the solid
granite, and will pronounce blessings on
the memory Of the patriotic women Of
Richmond.
But if no other boon were ever awarded
you--it no other blessing were ever pro-
nounced by the lips Of m0rlals-you have
reward already, in one little Incident con-
| nectcd with your work in this cemetery.
AN INCIDENT FROM THE DISPATCH.
A young man from one OF the southern
States but the other day walked through
these grounds with his young and beautiful
bride OH his arm. He had lost 4 brother in
the battles around Richmond, but the
grave ofthat brother-f grave he hati-was
unknown to the surviving brother, and to
the parents ANA other members of the fam
lily. Rambling in the genial sunshine of
the early spring along the walks that wind
among the soldiers graves, engaged in
reading the names that stand out so con-
splcuouSly on thousands OF head-boards,
his eye was suddenly and Unexpectedly ar
rested by the name Of his own dear bro
ther-hiS regiment and company. There
could be no mistake. Tears gushed
from his eyes rs he clasped that board 10 his
heart and pronounced thousand blessings
upon the loving hands that had placed 1t
there. Who can tell the touching memo
rles that TILED his heart almost TO breaking
as he knelt at that grave! Ike thought OF
his ihotLef, VINO nau ilca!iy nepS hcl lie
away watching for footsteps that came not
aud waiting Tor tdin-ss OF Il grave tliat was
unknown. What did that brother do? lie
substituted the wooden head-board by
marble sab, and carefully placed that
board, with It's treasured Inscription, in his
trunk. and bore 1t back to his mother, to be
kept as L valued memeuto III the family OF
the Offices OF love and friendship performed
by the :" Ladies' Memorial Association for
the Confederate Dead ut lakewood" In
fba uhSpprp N pyary nj caworI this one