Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-10-14
A Grateful Tribute.

At the recent centennial celebra-
ton in JOnesboro, Tenn, Judge John
b. I. Sneed delivered an eloquent ad-
dress, in which he paid a grateful
taibute to the people of East Tennes-
see for the hospitable treatment they
have meted to Memphis refugees dur
ing the past summer. Among other
things the judge said;
But ought not to bid q final adieu
to this vast multitude of East Tennes-
seeans without a grateful acknowledge
ment of their hospitality and kindness
to my own people-now passing under
the rod. The Baron Montesquieu
loved very fondly his native land. He
used to say that Germany was the
country to travel in-Italy to soiourn
in-England to think in, but France
was the country to live in. The old
baron had never seen East Tennessee.
the cis-Atlantic Switzerland, combin-
ing in itself all these attractions
good country to travel into soiourn
into think in, or to live in-and
crowning all with a generous hospital
ity, which will live in the memories of
my people as long as its beautiful
mountains do.
The close of the century finds the
chief city of the State covered with
the pail of pestilence and death, and
ready to give pits wealth, its palaces,
its marts of commerce, its all, for one
hour of Cod S abundant mercy. Thirty
thousand of its people are exiles from
home. Half-prepared and panic
stricken they hurried away in every
direction and threw themselves upon
the mercy of their countrymen. You
met them with open arms and hospi-
table hearts. You might have specu-
lated upon their necessities and their
misfortunes, but you did not do that
unholy thing. On the contrary, the
prices of things necessary to maintain
this great influx of refugees, and the
rates Of fare on your railroads dropped
down to the lowest figure, so that the
poorest among them were able to get
away from the plague and find COM
Portable home. The palace door and
the cabin gate alike swung open at
their approach, and / have yet to hear
OF one Of these wanderers who came
to East Tennessee, with or without
money, sick or we'll, who was turned
mercilessly away to starve and to die
on the wayside. There are instances
in which you nursed and ministered
to these wanderers-when smitten
with the pestilence in your own
houses. My countrymen, the record
ing angel will register these evidences
of heroic humanity as the culminat-
ing glory of this centennial season.
There lived in the city of Florence
a beautiful young girl who spent
princely estate in deeds of charity
during the great plague that once
scourged that city of the muses.. She
herself, at last, was stricken down and
died. Her queenly form was laid
away in the grand ancestral
vault-with its mural record of
great lineage and noble family Yet
all this did not tell the eloquent and
touching story of her own beautiful
lite-but two young art students per
formed that holy task, by rearing a
stately obelisk near the spot with the
inscription: Here lies Etella, who
having transported to heaven very
large fortune in acts of charity, has
gone thither to enjoy it." My friends.
these exiles are poor, just now, in all
things else but gatitude. But the
God who received Etella to His
bosom is passing rich in blessings and
in mercy. AS citizen of this COM
monwealth, though l live near the
banks Of the grand river which laves
and las1es its western boundary, l
thank God that | can claim fellow
ship with you and call you my country.
men, and that your magnificent
are an indivisible part and
parcel OF my country.