The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-10
TO THE NORTH.
CHIEF JUSTICE MANN1Ns.,s aDnuuss
REFOHE THE THANKsGIvING
MASS MEETING,
Held In the Varieties Theatre, Thursday-
Dccemher !.

| Ind,cs md Gcniiemcn The gathering here
OF large number Of visitors from many OF
the States Of our country has been deemed n
Hitting occasion for the Inhabitants Of this,
| lclty, ana of tho State. to give expression To
Their gratitude for that national outburst OF
generosity of which we have been the re-
Icpiehts am here tonight to give force
ana utteranee to that expression, while tho
committees arc preparing resolutions for vo,Ir
hctlofi. Nothing but an occasion such as this
| Would have induced me to intermit that alb
stlnenee from attendance on public meetinps
which the discharge of judicial duties, and a.
proper regard for official propriety, impose
upon me.
During nearly third Of the present vear
pestllenee has brooded over this city and
6reathed It's poison through many other por-
tions OF our State. Familiarity with its at
teDdant scenes Of suffering and Of death i'm
former years had not allayed tho terrors it's
advent. now inspired. They were rather In
creased by the presence Of features In the first
appearance Of the disease which dstin-
guisbed it from all its predecessors. One OF
the most rnournful of these was the read-
ness with which 1t attacked the young and
the celerity with which Its baleful work WAS
done. And this continued to characterze It.
uhtli It's Jury was spent. Households In d
few instances denuded Of their members en-
tlrey, In others made desolate by the loss or
| Lhelr most cherished treasure, attested every
day the mighty and almost resistless tread
OF this giant sCOurge that stalked In our
midst, Staying whom it would
But disease was not the only enemy our
stricken people had TO confront. Tho inter-
| ruption Of employment necesstated the ces-
sation of wages Hunger makes gnunt forrna
| hs well as disease, and while all energies were
| taxed to their utmost to attend the sick, con-
sole The dying and bury those who could no
| longer hear the words Of consolation, there
arose the cry of the foollIess, who seemed tn
have escaped the plague only to yield to tho
slower and more painful process OF starva-
| tion.
This was an appalling condition. Those who
never witnessed 1t cannot form any just Idea
| of 1t. My words can give no ade1ate i'm
preston Of it. Though | had the tongue ofan
anger, ana spake as never man spoke, could
not bring before those whose eyes never be-
held 1t the picture Of n populous city where
| death was riding on tho wings Of the whtrI-
wind and striking hither and thither, old and
| young, rlch and poor, all classes, all cond-
| tionB, while by his side or following close In
his wake the gaunt spectre Of famine came.
gnawing the vitals Of those whom the stroke
| OF the destroyer had spared
Our people did not shrink from their duties
am not here to recount their praises. ON
the contrary, j must in their name tell the
good deeds OF others. But it Is a part Of the
picture Of that time which am trying to pro-
| duce, and none OF its features should be omit
| ted Upon the first appearance o. n necessity
| Tor action, organizations sprang up the spoT-
| tanepus ontgrOwth of generous hearts whose
object was to alleviate suffering In every
| 1Orm 10 assist In re3cuing the sick from a
| late which seemed surely impending; to sup
| ply food to the hungry: to help the father
| less; to mitigate the horrors and avert the
| dangers which enveloped the whole popula
| Ion as In cloud. Physicians, whose knowl-
| edge was equalled only by their courage were,
| already using all the appliances Of the SCI
| ence whose mission is to detect the hidden
| sources OF disease and combat their opera-
| tlon The voluntary offerings Of our own
| people In aid Of the efforts Of the various as
sociations, both in personal services and In
| money, were used with discriminating judg-
| rnent and made the situation of the sick and
destitute more tClerable. But where there
was 80 large field for expenditure Of money
ana so many and such various wants to bt.
supplied, 1t was inevitable that help must
come from without the State, or all efforts to
continue the system Of relief which had been
Organized must be abandoned And what n
condition of desttutlon, and suffering and
woe must ensue II that should come to pass.
AT this Juncture came tho voice Of cornpas-
slonate sympathy, and the free gifts Of sub
Stantial aid from our sister States and In A.
little while these were supplemented by
liberal donations from foreign countries City
and town and hamlet WED with each other, In
proportion To their ability. and 50 lavish was
their generosity that the contributions would
doubtless have been more than was needed
but for the long duration Of the epidemic and
the exceptional condition Of our people.
Never before has any epidemic found our
people SO i'll prepared to meet IL. Poverty
within the last few years. The sources OF
wealth seem gradually To have dried up. The
stream of commerce, which TenoYates the
body polite and adds new viRor to its euer-
gies, had either slackened its course or ceased
to flow, and hundreds. may ] not say thou
sands. who could formerly help others now
needed help themselves.
The liberal benefactiOns which came from 90
many sources, In unstlnted measure, lifted us
up from the abyss of despair into which the
dread Of inability to minister To the necessi-
ties Of the sick, the needy and the dying Was
about to plunge us. AS the measure Of gen
erosity to US was without limit, 80 Is the graf
ltude we feel To those who gave. It Is meet
right, and our bounden duty to return thanks
for all blessings and benefits, first TO Him
who prompted the hearts OF His servants t,
% these goodlys deeds; next to those who
yielded to the generous impulse and dispensed
their bounty with such lavish hand
10 not recall any other instance in which
the donations were 80 numerous, or in the ag-
gregate 80 large, or where they were 80 en-
tirely spontaneous No solicitation seemed
no studied parade Of the cau3es
which made the donation essential. The sim
Pic unvarniShed recital Of the havoc death
was making OF the suffering the survivors
were undergoing, or were likely to undergo
of the heroic efforts the physicians, and
nurses and charitable associations, and cer-
~, and all the Inhabitants were making tn
ebate the scourge and TO minister 10 the
wants Of all who needed help went straight
70 the hearts of all the people Of this country
ana Cf lofegn lands, and evoked the active
spirit of beneYOcnCe In q manner and To a do
gree never before exhibited that remember.
How many dying hours were slothed by
these generous deeds the donors can never
know. How many orphans rescued from suf-
.eTing and death how many widows com
orted- no" many of the poor, who were de-
1ehdent upon daily labor for daily bread, reg
:ued from despair and starvation no earthly
record VIII ever show. But all these things
are written in the Book of Life, and of a truth
-hey VINO thus cast their bread upon the
waters shall find it return ~ them increased
IN hundred fold increased by renewed bless
ngS " themselves, and made pnrer and hap
Jler by the consciousness Of having been the
authors of 50 much happiness, the ayerters OF
20 much misery.
For it is truth that beneficence is two
old in its action. 1t does good to its object
)y increasing physical comfort, warding off
physical discomfort OF pain, eVOking the feel
ng Of gratitude and purifying and elevating
he rnnral tone Ard il laa q reheE actEnn