Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-03
BANQUET.
Brilliant Gathering in the Maxwell
Last Night.
Impressive Address of Welcome to
the Diocesan Delegates by DR..
George 5. BIaekie, and
Hearty Response by Rev.
J. 4. Wheat. ID. ID.
other Addresses by the Laity. etc.

1 bbS uel6gaIeS OF the diocesan convention,
was an extremely enjoyable affair. Over
two hundred and fifty persons were present
The spacious dining room Of the hotel, bril-
liantly illuminated, never appeared to better
| advantage. The occasion was one which
vii. loig be remembered. 1t
was no less generous vel
come extended by Nashville and Edgefeld
church people than heartily In the recipro-
cation Of the compliments on the party OF
the clergy. The committee on reception
was as follows: St. Paul's-Benj. J. Lii
lard, E. c.. LandsdOwn. st. Anne's-Dr.
G. r. Williamson, w. F. Orr. Christ's
| Church.. R. Buckingham, S. NJ. d.
Clark. Church of the Advent-F. NJ. Paul,
j. A. Moore. Holy Trinity-GeE. E.
] Kirby Smith, Samuel Seay. st. Peters
| j. G. Campbell, E. a. DUNN.
The admirable arrangements were due
| in a great measure to the very timely and
| personal eXertiOns of Messrs. B. j. Lillard
aud NJ. Kean, After grace had been sung
and the bill of fare "discussed," the Rt.
Rev. Bishop Quintard announced that DR..
! Geo. S. Blacke would then deliver
THE ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
He said:
RIGHT REV. SIR, AND BROTHERS IN
CHRIST: rise to bid you, in the name of
the members Of the church resident in this
city, heartfelt welcome to its Inequalities
"a greeting extended to you from hearts
| overlooking with sincere Affection
and to express to you our earnest
hopes that you have experienced,
not bodily comforts only, but the.
more precious assurance that you are in
deed and in truth regarded as brothers.
The members Of the various parishes
which center here felt that your coming
among us to conduct the most sacred office
with which men can be entrusted, the reg
ulation of the church militant, is an occa-
sion worthy to be celebrated in the
| highest manner, and one to which
we would be proud to have you look back
with pleasure in afteryears. And we wish
ed accordingly, TO bring you all together IN
a social reunion under one roof and around
one table. But as no private citizen here
| is able TO entertain, as should
| be entertained, SO large
! company, the method has been chosen of
| bringing you together in this place, where
| each one would have his share of entertain
ment, and by thus bearing each others
| burdens, produce result which may be in
some degree worthy Of its object. There
fore, we discaim the title of banquet, as
applied 20 this entertainment, and beg you
to regard yourselves here as each in the
house and at the table Of his nearest neigh
Dor.
1 sincerely hope that your deliberations
have Thus far been satisfactory to you, and
that, by the blessing of God, your clear
heads and loving hearts have planned such
measures as will increase this corner of His
vineyard.
The times in which we live are big with
| eventual progress, and as in the early DAYS
Of the Church, so now its enemies are
stalking about in broad open daylight
to defeat the self-denying lab0rs of
his disciples. Infidel doctrines threaten
| to o'erspread the heritage of Christ, and an
eruption of all the baser principles of hui
man nature menaceS the destruction of
whatever is purest and noblest in the social
fabric. The times are morally and poiti-
| cally ont Of joint, and there is need of
strong cooperative association to preserve
both morals and religion in their primitive
| purity. The necessity Of this is felt by the
| outside world, and thus we see, in all d.
| rectiOns, that men are uniting them
selves into bands, or brotherhoods,
to protect what each deems for themselves
the most important object.
Some Of these fraternities-an their name
is legjon-have merely a business object.
but many others have q higher and holier
aim. They seek TO elevate their brother
hood; to excite his ambition by the recital of
the deeds of great and good men; to inspire
in him the desire for d pure and
moral life solely for the worldly
prosperity which is its usual accompani-
ment; to care for the sick, the poor, the be-
reaved and the needy. Aud one great
brotherhood, al least, teaches its members
to 90 these things not for worldly fame
aud pleasure, but because they are right.
Brothers in Christ, while to me has been
assigned the pleasing duty of welcoming
you on this occasion. l cannot but feel that
the selection was very poor one, and l
should have steadily declined had | not felt
that by so dOirg it might be construed into
an UnwiLingness to join in any plan calcrl-
lated to show you respect and honor. But l
can assure you Of the warm personal love
which l feel for you, and however poorly l
express it, can at least convey to YOU some
portion Of the pleasure which your church
brothers have in entertaining you. And as
l am at a loss 10 express the utterance of
their hearts, let me, in the words of
noble heaihen Of our country, one who
'blindIy cropping in the darkness, touched
Gods right hand in that darkness and was
lifted up and strengthened and who thus
addressed the first missionaries of the
church to the far West:
[QuotatiOn closing with the words
at is well for us, Oh brothers
That YOU come 50 far To see US"
p III II A
The word welcome, like the beautiful
sentiment which it so effectively expresses,
is not reciprocal without Just construction.
The gracious host says, it is well YOU are
come, aQd the host responds, it is well we
are come 10 such q host. Ever since | have
known the shrewd people in This beautiful
City, I have known them to be given
20 hospitality and / know hat they use hos
pitality without grudging. We have wit
messed with pleasure The evidences Of pros
perity arOunC us. | came to this CITY
twentY five years ago and received its hos
p;alitias, lavishingly bestoEed. On the
spot where this magnificent hotel
stands there was but a noor
building. The city is now repre-
scented in its advancement by the contrast
between this building and the humble shop
ed the generation that welcomed me, have
inherited the virtues Of their fathers, and let
he say beloyed,as believe in the sisterhood
as well as the brotherhood of the church.
both have extended to us a hospitality
corresponding to the enlargement their
beautiful city demands and l think it
may be said: See how these
Christians love one another. We
doEindead enjoy of the fullest hospitality.
beloved. We do indeed reciprOcate the
CHI isJian sentiment 50 eloquently ex
pressed, and we join with you in
the hope that we shall more and more
cherish in our hearts this blessed
sentiment; a Christian brotherhood aud
Christian sisterhoOd. We have partaken of
your hospitality, We have parJaken of your
salt and We shall be good friends now and
forever. Our friendship cannot be broken.
l speak Of the Attic salt; the
wit and eloquence Of your speaker, and we
regard it as glorious that we have had a
feast not only of rational enjoyment, but we
have also had a flow of christian soul. He
concluded by saying that he hoped when the