A Spectacle of Charity – The Daughters of Charity During the Civil War

The Return to Order Moment

We live in a cynical world. We are surrounded by those who try to pretend that evil is good – and that the evil that they do is even better. Our leaders do not lead us. They try to figure out what we want and then try to convince us that they want it, too. We are surrounded by people who say that they want to help us, but are only willing to do so if they are paid for their help. We are bombarded by advertising that says that we can be truly happy – but only if we buy their stuff. Fortunately, there are those whose primary motivation is one of charity. When we first meet such people, we might distrust them at first. Our inclination is to wonder what is in it for them. Only slowly do we change our minds as a sense of trust grows. Today, the Return to Order Moment takes you back about one hundred sixty years – to the time of the Civil War. We will focus on a small group of women who called themselves the Daughters of Charity. We hope that this account will inspire our listeners to be just a bit less cynical and rejoice that such people exist. Thank you for listening.