, 1873-10-24


wo years nnd moro, fire, food, and pcstilence
aave Btalked nbout tho oazth, dealing death and
uaastor in nearly every quarter Of tho globo.
Whonever md In whatever form tho destroyer
hns mado his appearance, ho has contemptuously
Dverridon tho obstacles that science has
thrown In his way and succumbed
ut last only to the aublimo aud
untiring efforts OF charity the greatess Of oil vir-
tues. In all tho Inventions OF the enemy, ho
has mover assumed 30 hi1oous nion as In tho
scourRo which has visited Shreveport mud Menl-
phis. It would seom to bo his last and greatoat
effort to weary mankind Of well-doing. md ho
must bo abaahcd there aH ho Inns boon In Aamo,
famine, flood. tornado, md plague elsewhere.
Ono would say that tho glorious nartyrdom Of a
single Mattie stephenson would drive him off
with hanging head. And yot ho goes
not. Tho heroics OF former days must
yield tho palm to tho simple devotion
and glorious courage that prompt young girl
to plunge hoadlong into loathsomo pestilonco,
whlcl, makes strong mon tromble aud appn1s
tho devotion Of tho truast womanhood. This
ia what A1attio Stephenson, an obscure country
girl Of Iuiuois, did. Sho had no special cal1 to
Memphis. There WAS no husband, nor brother,
nor sweetheart there to whom she was attracted
by so1flsh or porsonnl affections. She left homo
with only tho garments she woro-porhaps
Hho thought alo would nevor mood any
more-ana without the knowledge or
consent Of her relatives; sho paid
her own passage to Memphis; she made no os-
tontatious proffor Of her services; her only anu
bition was to serve tho sick and suffering Of tho
stricken city; Rho visited scenes which terrified
tho strong hearts of those who Ind had time to
become used to tho plague sho accoptca no pay
for her duty; md. when tho horrid disease laid
its vicious hands upon her, sho died with the
single regret that her usefulness had boen cut
short. Her first service was the caro- Of D. young
wlfo, with whom tho disoase had precipitated
Mattic Stephenson must hayo lad tho BtrongoBt
instincts Of matornal sympathy md full ap-
preoiation Of tho double horror OF her patients
condition, sho nlona Was brave enough, among
all tho women there, to iaco tho situaton. No
wonder tho City Of Memphis forgot tho plague n
moment to admire heroiem like hers. No Won
dor tho Howard Association, ana tho city officials
and the clergy, and the nuraee, stole away from
their duties brief hnlf-nour to do her
reverence. Tho poor girl Ia described to
have beeu-Bhe muBt have boon-a shy
and gontlo creature, unconscious OF the good
she was doing. uers Vas martyrdom that tho
world cannot afford to forget; and when,
hereafter, tho names OF Floronco Nightingale,
Grace Darling, and tho others ure recalled, that
Of Matte Stephenson should head the list, ro-
| splondont with glory that is almost auporhu-
mnn.
Mattio Stephenson has not boon alono In the
sublime devotion called out by tho fearful
scourgo which has visited tho Southern cities.
There waB beautiful and accomplished
girl Of Philadelphia, named Agnoa Ar
mold, who hastonod to Shreveport at
the first general call upon humanity.
sho Was tho daughter OF deceased United
statoa Navy officer, aud the adopted daughter OF
| citizen OF Philadelphia, wloso namo she boro.
! She had q good horne and kind friends, and wns
botrothod. Tho pleasures Of youth, tue attach.
mont OF friendship, tho first love Of fresh
hoaEt. and all tho aolflBh sentiments OF assoca.
ton and affection 1ero exercised in l1or case tc
keep her at homo. sho broke with all these, and
hurried away to duty and to DEATH
Her afnancel husband could. not stay
| hnt,i ind tn %~Jo {-
days, and, soon after Lis arrival at Shreveport
was Btrlckon down and died. Agnoa Arnold did
NOT finch oyen at this hard blow. She still won,
about doing good as q yoluutcor nurso, till one
night, completely overcome with physical
fatigue In watching at tho bedside OF eic}
child, aho could hold her lloaa up no longer. tc
down stairway, fractured thigh. and died In
great agony. Tho "Angel Agnos," as they cal
her in Philadelphia, and her intended husband
arc now on their way homo In collins. Matte
Stephenson in Memphla, and Agnoa Arnold it
Shreveport, hive surely not boen alone In thoi,
marty1dom. There muat be scoroa of upwritter
heroes and horoines who hayo gyon IN al the
comforts OF homo md all tho affections dear
cat to tho human hoart to court tic mos
horrible forma OF doath for charity's aake. II Il
woro not 30, Momphis would bo today but Ont
hugo peat-honao, tho disgrace and terror Of
civilized country.
We have motive In drawing special at
tontion to Bnch heroibm oller than that Of col
ebrating tho virtues that are loft 10 poor human
ity. 1t there aro men aud women whs
dare to sacrifice homcs, frlonls, love, aud lifo II
the relief Of auch suffering ~ no1ious plagu,
bringa With 1t, which Of ua can afford to sefuB,
money to pay thotr expenses. to caro- for tho at
atctod, to buy bread for tie starving, to furnsl
medicine for the aok, to olothe the orphans, an'