and Mr. J. T. Ruggles, were “too funny to live,”
and os for “ Louisa,'” when shall we look upon
her like again ?
The fourth, fifth and sixth nights were rep
etitions of the first three, with some alterations
in the scenes.
At last came the sixth and last. “ The
house was crowded to its utmost capacity,” as
the papers say, with a well-dressed and most
refined audience. New York’s fashion and
distinction were there. The play was again
the “ Follies.” The actors all improved very
much on their second performance. The
sccna was again “Linda;” the farce “The
Lead Shot.” Everything went off in the
most unexceptionable manner, and the Dra
matic Committee went off, too, the happiest
Committee that had ever hoped and despaired,
been abused and had abused back again, had
fought and won, and had added about 10,000
to the treasury of the Fair.
WILLIAM PENN.
From Bancroft’s History of the United
States we extract the following truthful re
marks in reference to the great founder of our
noble State, the only one in the Union named
after its founder:
“ This is the praise of William Penn, that
in an ago which had seen a popular revolut ion
shipwreck popular liberty among selfish fac
tions; which had seen Hugh Peters and
Henry Vane perish by the hangman’s cord
and the axe; in an age where Sidney nour
ished the pride of patriotism rather than the
sentiment of philanthropy; when Bussell
stood for the liberties of his order, and not for
new enfranchisements, and Siiaftsbury and
Louke thought government should rest on
property, Penn did not despair of humanity,
and though all history and experience denied
the sovereignty of the people, dared to cherish
the noble idea of man’s capacity for self-gov
ernment, *******
There is nothing in the history of the human
race like the confidence which the simple vir
tues and institutions of William Penn inspired.
“Penn never gave counsel at variance with
popular rights. England to-day confesses his
sagacity, and is doing homage to his genius.
He came too soon for success, and he was
aware of it. * * * * After more than a
century, the laws which ho reproved began
to be repealed, and the principle which he de
veloped, sure of immortality, is slowly, but
surely asserting its power over the legislation
of Great Britain. * * * * Every ill
name, from Tory and Jesuit to blasphemer
and infidel, have been used against Penn ; but
the candor of his character always triumphed
over calumny. His name was safely cherished
as a household word in the cottages of Wales
and Ireland, and amoug the peasantry of
Germany; and not a tenant of a wigwam
from the sea to the Susquehanna doubted his
integrity.”
“ His fame is now wide as the world. He
is one of the few who have gained abiding
glory.”
The infidel Voltaire pronounced the fol
lowing tribute to Penn’s Treaty with the
OUB ZD_A_I LTT IFjLIEaiE].
Indians : “ This was the only treaty between
the red people and the Christians which was
not ratified by an oath, and that was never
broken.”
HOW THE SANITABY IS WORKING IN
THE FIELD.—No. 6.
[From our Correspondent with the Army of the Potomac.]
Wiitte House, June 10, 1804.
To-day nearly one thousand Confederate
prisoners left this place for “Lookout.” Some
of them were sick and wounded. These were
placed in tents, and a requisition sent to the
nearest station of the Commission for canned
fruit and beef, lemons, farina, rice, soft crack
ers, &c., which were freely given, and most
gratefully received. As those who were able
marched upon the boat, a Union officer, who
stood near, said, “ I have only returned from
Richmond a few months since, and I can but
think of my imprisonment there as being in
strong contrast with the imprisonment of these
men. I am glad of it. I am proud of our
Government, that in its determined patriotism
it is not cruel or vindictive.” No rebel sol
dier, when he falls among us, is neglected be
cause he is a rebel.
In visiting the different encampments to-day
I was impressed with the number of indepen
dent agencies there are in the field hero, and
was led to some reflections as to the work in
which they are engaged.
There is the Christian Commission, of whose
work you know ; the German Relief Society ;
and the agencies of Maine, Massachusetts,
New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, and
Indiana. I have not seen a Pennsylvania
agent, though I am informed there is one. In
addition to these there are church and private
organizations—all here to do good; but, for
lack of proper views of the work, fail to ac
complish the good they had hoped to. Imagine
all the representatives of these associations
vieing with each other in alacrity to feed and
comfort the wounded as they come in, or after
they have been located in hospitals. On this
subject one of the agents of the Commission,
having charge of a certain corps station,
writes as follows:
“ A train of three or four hundred was ex
pected, and we were notified that the men
would need supplies of food, &c., from us.
We at once began to prepare all that our store
was capable of in anticipation of their need.
I also procured from the supply tent eight
pails of soup, and a volunteer force to dis
tribute it. The hospital cooks, roused to un
wonted activity by the supposed emergency,
prepared large supplies of soup and coffee.
“ The Christian Association, who had also
been notified, bent their energies to the work
of preparing food, stimulents, etc., and vari
ous state organizations hearing of the expected
arrival, did their share. The consequences of
this extensive preparation were somewhat lu
dicrous, and threatened for a time to be quit
serious to the innocent victims of it. Torch,
light processions of milk punch, farina, gruel,
soups, coffee, tea, biscuit, and boiled potatoes,
were soon converging to a common centre, and
the small band of wounded suddenly found
themselves surrounded with new dangers,
from which there seemed no way of escape.
A crowd of benevolent emissaries encompassed
them, who were loaded down with supplies for
their relief, and each of whom, impelled by
philanthropy, was bent upon distributing hiß
burden among them. In spite, however, of
their most frantic efforts, and the extraordi
nary capacity of some of the recipients, who
saw fearful risks in their readiness to oblige,
a large proportion of these supplies had to be
carried back to their respective depots.”
This is not an overdrawn picture. Neither
is it inapplicable in its spirit or narrative to
what may be seen continually. There are
many objections to this indiscriminate, unsys
tematized method of distribution. The waste
of supplies attendant upon it is enormous. It
educates the people to erratic, lavish expendi
ture. It injures the soldier by over-feeding,
with comparative luxuries, after a protracted
habit of digesting “hard tack” and beef ra
tions. It promotes jealousies and disaffection.
It interferes with army discipline. It is an
evil that ought to be corrected. The remedy
lies with the people.
Two persons were found here yesterday from
Philadelphia, with a good show of supplies in
boxes. They had a tent, and went among the
soldiers to see what was needed, and I found
them sitting together wondering what they
should do. They had been entrusted with
supplies by their friends, and felt bound to
issue them. They could not do it wisely alone.
They could not turn over their goods to the
Sanitary Commission, because some private
society among their personal friends had con
tributed them. Such societies impose a task
upon their representatives, and assume a re
sponsibility themselves, the burden of which
they do not realize.
There is but one safe method to insure
uniformity and economy, and that is to have
one medium of distribution, and that medium
to co-operate with the constituted authorities
of the service.
A colored boy.
While I was writing letters in the 9th Corps ;
I saw a little negro boy who had one of his
legs amputated, who was a servant of a cap
tain, and received a severe wound while ser
ving his master during an engagement. The
little fellow was lying on the ground, with a
small box for his pillow, when the ward mas
ter came in with a mattress for him. He hesi
tated to accept it, and looking around among
the others, said. “Reckon somebody wants it
more than I do ; if they does, they must have
it.” Nobody wanted it.
Yours, faithfully,
TJRINTED by Ringwalt A Brown, 111 A 113 South 4th
Street, Philadelphia, for the Great Central Fair in
aid of the United States Sanitary Commission.