The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-15
MINISTER DENBY'S FAREWELL.
The Citizens of Evansville Tender Him q
Banquet on the Eve of His Departure.

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Banquet on the Eve of His Departure.
Special to the indianapolis Journal
EVANSVILLE, July Ia The banquet rendered
by the citizens to Colonel and Mrs. Charles
DENLY, at the ST. George Hotel, this evening.
proved to be one of the most enjoyable affairs
ever given in the city. About 200 guests were
present The first toast was
Our guests by Hon. T. E. Garvin.
Colonel DENLY responded as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen-I have of late been
the grateful recipient of many compliments from
many orders and organizations of men, These
courtesies and this unwonted prominence, com
ing to a very plain man, have thrown q glamor
over my life To night, for the first time,
realize that it all means that am really and
truly to leave the home of my manhood for
lengthy residence in foreign and distant land
Others have conferred honor on the politician.
the soldier. the scholar the minister of the
republic You come with your infinite grace
and courtesy, and kindness, to do honor to the
neighbor, the friend, the man. You come, not
recltlng feats of arms, or scholarship but You
come remembering the happy hours of social
life that will come to you again, but not for many
year to me or mine Here have passed thirty
two years and more of my manhood. Up that
wharf came in June, 1853 as poor, let me say
1t for the encouragement of others, as any youth
people When look over this brilliant assem-
blage, l see few persons here that
L have not known for many
years. These bright and blooming maidens,
/ have known them since they were Just carried
in their nurses arms, and l knew their mothers
when they were as lovely and as beautiful as
their daughters are to night Indeed these
matrous have not lost any of their charms in my
eyes, and rival if they do not surpass their
daughters in loneliness. The rose is as charm
inc m a q was the hud twenty wears and mora
ago. These young gentlemen, / may truthfully
say that l have at least helped to raise them.
There has never been a time that my house, lot.
stable and chicken-yard have not belonged as
much or more to the boys than to myself. From
the show in the stable loft, where the admission
fee was four pins, to the german in the parlor.
where the price of admission grace and
elegance, the boys have owned and operated all
the premises. And have been for several years
so blessed by bounteous Providence that have
been able to contribute at the same time con-
siderable home talent to the show and to the
german. In this State l wooed and won my
wife. Here raised an altar to my household
gods Here my children were born. Here two
of them arc buried. Here have lived, except
when, Indiana volunteer, marched hence
at the head of regiment raised here to defend
and preserve the Union.
When look into the faces of the gentlemen
who are here tonight, | recall them as they
looked when they and l were young men to-
gether Some who are here present were
or seemed to be. a little older than
when l first knew them; but
of time are the same age now. 1t is thus that
the astronomer holds the rays Of the sun to
DO parallel, on account of the vast dis
tances they traverse, though they all como
all Then Dir. Charles Viele, and Judge lyle,
hart, and Hon. w. E. Niblack were somewhat
older than l when l first knew them, or at least
seemed to be 80; but they and have been of the
same age for many years When, the other
day. at Georgetown University, Father Curley
who is eighty nine years of age, came to see me-
he said: Il remember you as a boy; remember
your face perfectly. You all come back changed.
You are not the same person to me at
all' He had not seen me for forty-two years
But here the changes are gradual; our lives have
been so close together that We never grow old to
each other Among you all, perhaps there was
no one who stayed at home as much as l have
done Evansville has been my real, loved and
cherished home. How the city has improved
There was but one little piece Of railroad to Vim
cennes when l came hither. There are six
great arteries OF commerce now. Think Of it!
| am going to what was the second city of the
world when you and l studied geography in the
old log school-house in the country. am leav
ing in this Western city, that was incorporated
in l647 gas, the electric light, the
tramway, water works, the telephone, the
railroad. l shall see none OF these
things in Picking now venture to express the
introducing these Western improvements into
China.
You have seen your city grow with steady
growth. l have seen it grow with so much pride
and pleasure; know its streets, its houses its
beautiful river, its gorgeous sunsets, so we'll
You have fashioned and formed here the purest
and the dearest homes. You have surrounded
yourselves with all elegance and grace. pray
for you continuance of all the blessings Of ife
l trust that l shall come back to
n pto $hn
place that 1 hope will be kept
vacant for me- But am not contradctng the
proverb which says that an oak cannot be trans
planted at fifty My home is here still, my
porary official absence 1 can still quote the
touching words of Ruth, ''Entreat me not to
leave you; whittier thou goest will CO. and thy
people shall be my people, and thy God shall be
my God" And now ladies ard gentlemen, permit
me to return to my beloved friend, whose unbro-
ken friendship with me covers more than three
decades, and who so beautifully expressed your
kind wishes-to my very dear friend who
superintended this beautiful entertainment
to our hosts of the st. George-to one and all of
the editors of this city, who have treated me
with such uniform Kindness, and to each one of
you personally, the profoundest and most heart
felt thanks of my family and myself.
Other toasts were as follows ''The Presi-
dent" Hon. AFRO Dyer and J. NJ. Shackelford;
''The Ladies, Mr.. S. e. Vance; "The Flowery
Kingdom" Mr. G A. DeBruler "The American
Representative Abroad" Gen. Alvin P. Hovey
Diplomacy" Mr.. j. A. Lemcke; "Auld Lang
Syne" Mr.. r. D. Richardson.
Upon the conclusion of the banquet Colonel
and Mrs DENLY left by the night train for
Logansport, on brief visit to the family of Hon.
Graham N Fitch, before leaving for mis- foreign
post.