Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-10-19
HATTIE STEVENSON.

MATTE STEVENSON.
One of the most beautiful Illustration
given by Christ of the unselfish devotion
that should be the chief characteristic o.
christians, is that of the Good Samari
tan. Others passed the sick man by the
wsyside and refused him the succor and
help he needed; but be, differing in faith
and formula, and separated by a Gull
that had been widening for centuries,
jumped the chasm Of prejudice and
bound up the sick mans sores, poured
into his ears the needed words of COM
Tort aud, placing him upon his
beast, carried him to place
Of safety. For many yesrs, more
than we care to dwell upon,
there has grown up between the north
and south q wall of prejudices so many
Is TO seem TO those of W. since 1866 en-.
gagged in tearing thGm down, beyond
any human possibility. We talked sec.
tionalism, Democracy, conservatism
and liberalism, 10y turns, and slowly
they came down one after the other,
encouraging US to continue in the
Jrotherly, and 20 US, task of love. Slow
ly and gradually we undermined one
after another, and yet so many re-
mained. that we despaired OF our task.
20 many hearts and brains differ
ing with ours were involved.
that IL was impossible to reconcile
them all st once. Not all the skill of
all the really patriotic men on both
sizes, not all the really patriotic presses
on both sides could accomplish the great
work as soon, or as completely, as
we wished and desired. But the
failure Of press, Of public and of
politicians has become the crowning
glory o. little girl, weak in body but
strong in heart, in mind and in those
gifts of devotion that are the chief ex-
cellencies Of her sex. She comes down
to US in times that try the soul and that
wiring our hearts; she comes to once
rebel Memphis, famous above all the
cities of the valley for its devotion to the
rebel cause, and she says: "Such as l
am, from the north, from the west,
whence came the stalwart men and
great armies Of the war, such as am,
= little girl ia years, a woman in
all that woman may do, 1 come to de-
vote myself to your sick, TO your poor, to
your dying" And we received her as
only men and women and children may
who lie at the foot Of the cross and crv
aloud, asking if there be any Saviour.
We take her by the hand as a white
winged messenger of love from
brothers from whom We had been so long
esranged, and a task is assigned her,
TO be laid down only with the
sweet, angelic and beautiful life. She
came like the vision of the morning, a
bright and lovely dream, lighting the
whole heavens with the radiance of a
good heart, q noble soul that, like that
OF the good Samaritan, leaped the
boundaries Of passion and prejudice, and
taught us that we are indeed Of one
hope and one God, one family, tongue
and nationality. Matte Stevenson, OF
Illi'lOis, came to us the best, the bright
esq, the nOblest offering Of the munif-
cent and grest-hearted west. She came
20 fulfil, let us say, her appointed mis-
sion, to die that others might live, and
TO teach US, as we have many times dur
ing the past few weeks been taught,
that greater love than this hath no
man that he lay down his life for anoth-
er." Priests, ministers, nurses, sisters
Of charity, and physicians have passed
away from their ~7noiuted posts ofduty,
but Matte ST. so son, q name hereaf-
ter to be craven Oh every heart in Mem
phLs, becomes dearest of all, and first,
because she fills up the chasm Of war
and has washed away with the tears of
a sublime faith and steady charity all
traces Of its existence. Buried, she was,
yesterday, and followed to the silent
tomb by the largest concourse of citizens
that has assembled in Memphis in
months, but buried her memory never |
shall be so long as one Of the men, wO-
men and children Of 1873 live to lisp her
name. HOnors TO such an one are be-
yond our power to pay. We may raise,
and we will raise a white shaft to COM
memorate her heroism, but in ourhearts,
from now hencefOrth, she will be with
every one Of US next 10 the dearest and
nearest on earth She will be 10
Us as lost child, a sister,
OF a friend whose goodness is
an eyer-present and holy aroma, guar-
dian, 50 long as we shall possess IT,
against evil and for good. Let the shaft
be raised, and let it be the highest, the
tallest, the most conspicuous In our
beautiful city OF the dead, and let the
name, "Mattie Stevenson" be craven
deep and deep down, where it viii re-
main TO defy the corrosions of time and
ell how she laid down her life for the
poor of Memphis.