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

there Ia such physician as deaI, LIN ot lie
snert,r tn,e for there are sorroWs LUG, le
- Jaan for the heaJ;dE art OF inorI'ti IlI'h
700 uvSp That reGgion itself can only as
soi a,so or cd most, but strengthen us TO
s Saa rows that time can only ailay ny
rI1g off tho bitter edge. still leaving the
Gar upon the heart that Is tender TO tne
sentlest touch, and which becomes sore ana
bleeding under the slightest abrasion from
The rude, rough hand of misfortune anu
affection.
a great sorrow can never be cntlrely
eradicated, The raven takes its beak out OF
| the heart never more" There is al atlec-
| tation of sorrow that Grapes Itself in black.
and wears it until it becomes mockcry OF
the dead and the badge of hypocrisy TO the
living. But when weeds of mourning are
worn 10 make one attractive, to awaken
public sympathy, and for the hollow hearted
purpose Of parading sorrow that Is hot
| really felt, il becomes baretaced mockerV
and q sham; and skeleton hands ought TO
| be allowed to stretch forth from vault, anu
charnel-ho1lSe, and grave, aud coffin, and
tear the deceitful and deceptive garb ana
euse from the heartless pretenders tnat
wear it rs retributive punishment for sucn
hypocrisy. -
The people of Virginia, to say nothing oil
others in this connection, have
A GREAT HEART-soRRow,
and the expression which We give TO that
sorrow on our memorial days Is no mere
pageant. no mere empty parade ana SNOW;
VIRGINIA to-day sits in sorrow. like Rachel
of old. weeDino for her children. and re-
rusino to be comforted because they are
not" And should the time ever come when
the memorial day at lakewood shall be con-
yerted into q gala-day for amusement ana
festiyity, the insulted ghosts Of the brave
and pyer.to-be.lamented soldiers who sleep
in this soil. con.ecrated rs it is by tears.
and PRAYERS, and touching memories, ought
to throng the air and brighten the protane
and hardened jewellers from these BURIAL
grounds. When we perform these memo
Iial services our feet should fall lightly, our
voices shouId he sllbdued and low, and
with tender. loving hands, flowers bede"ec
with fears should be lad on these soldiers
graves. .-,,,.o
We come here to-day to pay the tribute
of grateful affection to the memory oil the
SIXTEEN THOUSAND CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS
who, after the hardships of the camp, the
fatigue OF long and weary marches, the
pcrits Of hard-fougLt battles, the a9on!zlne
lmlns and suifcriugS OF hospitals, az last
found Il Resin. place in this quiet and UNI
pretending cemetery that skirts the city III
whose defence they Laid down their lives. ;,
The battle strife il over. They shall
wake no more at the reVclle nor answer
again at rol-call. They have exchanged the
din and hustle of the camp for the solemn
silence Of the tomb. Beneath the green
sward that covers their moundless graves
they sleep the long sleep Of death. 10 us
they have left their names and characters,
and II becomes our imperative duty Sit
crcdIv to Guard the trust committed TO oul
care. The stigma CT inatny would attacE
to us, like the poisoned shirt OF NessuS
: should we ever prove dcrellct TO our sacred
trust.
Let us pause L moment Just here to con
slider and inquire who these brave sleeper:
were, and whence they came. Who were
they-ra,he who are they! for, being dead
they yet live and speak. 'iEey live i'll then
deed, of dalntle>s hcroism they live IL
their self sacrificing patriotism; they i've
in the memory of their countrrmcn they
live in the hearts Of bereayed fathers ant
mothers, and of widows and orphaned
children. They live, and shall live, while
constitutional liberty has temple anu tne
baud Of patriotism has VotsTe Offering &c
lay upon lis altar and Their graves we VII
commit to the generations that shall come
after Us with the Injunction that the 1aii
: hands of mothers ard maidcns, with eact
: returning May in the onward tread oil the
: ores. shall l,y upon the sod that covers
tGrjr ashes fresh flowers ana cvergreens IL
Testimonial of Az affection and devotion
that c:ln ncv@! die.
WHO ARE THEY:
Ian,wer, not hircling >o!dicry-not The
; loy. DEGRADED. refuse OF the land, whose
death had been Il blessing rather than 8
calamity--but they were the noble. chiv'
alrons son. Of the South, "to the manor.
), born" they were, for the most, young
men of honorable decent, and very many
OF them men OF education, refined IN man
rrrs, cnurtly in hearing, cultivated in
taste. aud IneXceptonablu in morals: they
were the sons OF noble >i!cS and vutuou'
mothers. and formed Is brave and heroic
soldicry is ever dew blade or encounter
! ed IL foe.
Whence came they to find grave in
: this country; Many of them came from
their own happy homes in Virginia; they
came from the Carolnas, from Georgia,
from the cotton States Of Alabama and Mis-
: sis>ipDl, from Tennessee aud kentucky,
; from the magnuliaS and Orange-groVe> OF
. Louisiana ana Florida, from Missouri and
Arkansas, beyond " the father OF waters" ;
from Maryland, OH our north, and from
Texas, III the iar-oif South, side by SIDE
we find here the disseminated, talr-Skln-
ned boy OF our own Latitude, ana the
bronZed brunette OF more southern lands ;
we find the stalwart mOuntalneer and the
more delicate form Of the counting-room
clerk: The man Of letters and the man OF
business. the farmer and the mechanic, the
merchant and the baukCr:-all classes, from
/, All the states mentioned, are found beneath
. the s;u,a turf, sleeping in the same dust,
and this DAY arc recciNlu@a common Tribute
from the hands and heartS OF the thousands
who are here assembled OH this memorial
/, day.
I'VE Justly owe this memorial offering to
the brave men that are buried in Oakwood
! AT HOLLYWOOD,
On the westward limits Of our city. as this
lies on The east, where but little more than
one half the number OF soldiers is buried
tuat are cnrombcd in this cemetery, the
graves have been moundcu and turfed, and
a massive monument has been reared by
the Ladies' Memorial Association Of that
cemetery TO perpetllate the memory Of the
Confederate soldiers who sleep in that
peaceful - city Of the dead beneath the
beautiful trees, lulled by the ceaseless muir.
muir of the waters of the james and by the
, yesper. HYMNS OF the crystal streams that
cid. so unsteady through its dreamy wales
and duSky delIS. We most cheerftlly and
cordially award the need Of praise to the
noble and patriotic women, under whose
auspices, aud by whose vigilance and per.
severance, this work has been accomplished
at Hollywood but we feel constrained to
award even
HIGHER DEGREE OF PRAISE
to the Ladies' Memorial Association for the
Confederate dead ut lakewood, for what
they have done, and are now doing, to
rescue these gc;ives from the dwelling hand
OF Time, and from the wave OF oblivion
which threatens to sweep them into the