Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-12-06

calling, wed with his brother of the Papal
church in the practice of those exalted vir-
tues which enuobes every religion and COM
mands the reverence and respect of all man
kind for every faithful servant of the livip e
God; and more sublime and beautiful still,
the gentle slsterhood of every church, like
very angels of mercy, defying danger and
fearless of death, brought comfort to the
sick and consolation to the dying. But the
measure of gratitude and the might of obi
cation which the people of those parts of the
south which were scourged with the fever,
owe to their brethren of the north, is not
fixed or limited by mere expressions OF SYM
patny and contributions of material aid, gem
erous and earnest as was the one, and mu-
nifcent as was the other, but by grander and
nobler exhibitions which testified IN a more
conclusive manner their devotion to the
highest dictates of humanity. Scarcely had
the pestilence commenced its ravages when
a gallant army of chivalrlc, fearless men, of
brave christian women, living IN localities
free from infection and danger, animated by
the purest and loftiest motives that ever gov
erned human conduct, promptly volunteered
in the perilous service of meeting the enemy
in the dominion it had seized, of offering
battle on its chosen fields, and in the midst
IF all its terrors. Drawing danger, confront
ing death, and detylng the plague, they hur.
RED to the scene of suffering and distress,
where the very air was loaded with fatal
poison, and with no thought of self, minis
tered to the sick, comforted the dying and
buried the dead. Many of them persisted in
the struggle with the frightful specter that
came around with the cycle of death, and
sleep with those they would have saved from
the destroyer. Others who survived the
dangers and perils of their noble mission,
have returned to their homes, carrying with
them the benediction and pray ers of those to
whom they brought succor, hope and rescue
I -
the generous deeds of all these fallen mar
tyrs who died IN cause more noble than
ever enlisted human sympathy or Influenced
human action. Of all these unpretending
heroes, living and dead, who exhibited the
sublimest courage and illustrated the grand
est attributes that ever adorned the human
character, wish | could give their names to
history, make them immortal upon the
brightest page, and transmit the record OF
their actions to posterity for the admiration
OF mankind In every succeeding age. Hon
ors may not reward the living; monuments
may not mark the resting place of the dead ;
they may not live In history, but the memory
of their good deeds will be maintained for
ever in the warmest affections of the grateful
people whose sufferings they relieved, whose
sorrows they shared. To the National relief
association, represented, | believe, by the
committee who has shown me such kindness
tonight, and who | have the honor to
address as a part of my audience, we
are most deeply indebted for giving
systematic direction to the bounteous
charity which flowed in a broad and
never-ceasing stream toward the distressed
and suffering south until the end of our af-
Fiction was reached; but to no member of
that association, nor to any other single in
dIVldual are we more indebted than to the
gentleman who has just so kindly expressed
the friendly feelings which l am happy to
know you entertain toward me and the
people of my section. His generous heart
and his large and active brain as readily COM
pretended our necessities, and devised a
practical method of applying all available
means for their relief. We cannot divine the
DEGREES of fate, nor fathom the designs of
omnipotepca, but the experience and history
Of mankind teaches US that sometimes the
most cherished blessings flow from calamities
which appear the most dire and deplorable.
So the terrible atflictiop, which has over
whelmed large districts in the south, may
happily effect that which the proves of the
soldier and the tact of the politician has not
wholly accomplished. 1t has been writ
ten that the pen is mightier than
the sword, but it may as truthfully be
said that charity, kindness and afec-
ton are mightier than either, and
wins more victories than both combined.
Amid the ruin and desolatlon wrought by
the plague, over the sorrows and gloom it
left in its pathway, rises in sublimity and
grandeur the beautiful spirit Of christian
charity and fraternal love, and smiling even
upon the graves of our friends. bids US for
get the bitterness of the past and look to the
hopes of the future. The lessons of political
policy, as well as the theory of our govern
ment, teach US that we are one people, with
common interests and duties, and now
through great affection, we know from
spontaneous expression of common sympa-
thy that we can also have common sorrow.
Now that all these ties bind US together may
our destiny be the same and our union be
May the golden chain, wrought
by charity and kindness, prove stronger than
the links of iron forged by all the machinery
of war, and hold US forever in subsection to |
the kindly spirit of sectional fraternity and
national patriotism, which alone can make |
Us a great nation-a united ard happy peo-
ple!' The gentleman sat down amid loud ap-
plause.
COLONEL KEATTNG's spEFCu