Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-03-16
Every Day Heroes.

Two simple little incidents come to us
in our exchanges, which seem to us at
least as well worth the telling as the latest
history of theft and murder One is the
story of poor acrobat out West, who was
dashed from his giddy height to the
ground and who, when the crowd gather
ed about him, raised himself, mangled and
bleeding, to gasp out entreaties for them
to save the two girls left unsupported on
the trapeze. He refused to be lifted until
they were rescued, and in the agony of his
fall and shattered limbs, was the only man
in the large audience who forgot his own
necessities and had the cool presence OF
mind to direct how they should be brought
down. When they were safe, pain got the
better of him, and he was carried as dead
off the stage. The women were strangers
to him
The other story is of little girl who
wandered on to the track of the Delaware
Railroad as freight train Of nineteen
cars was approaching. AS it turned the
sharp top of the grade, opposite St.
Georges, the engineer saw the child for
the first time, blew "down brakes" and
reversed the engine But it was too late
to slacken its speed in time, and the poor
baby got up, and laughing, ran to meet it.
II told the conductor" says the engineer,
IF he could jump off the engine, and, run
ming ahead, pick the child up before the
engine reached her, he might save her
life, though 1t would risk his own, which
he did. The engine was within one foot
Of the child when he secured it, and they
were both saved. I would not run the
same risk of saving child again by way
Of experiment for all Newcastle County,
for nine out of ten might not escape. He
took the child to the lane, and she walked
to the house, and little girl was coming
after it when we left" The honest en-
gineer, having finished his days run, sits
down the next morning and writes this
homely letter to the father Of his child,
"in order that it may be more carefully
watched in future" and thanking God
"that himself and the baby's mother slept
TRANQUILITY last night and were spared the
lifelong pangs of remorse." 1t does not
occur to him to even mention the con-
ductor's name, who, he seems to think,
did no uncomon thing in risking his own
life, unseen and unnoticed, on the solitary
road, for child whom he would never
probably see again. The moral of the
story TO him and to the good clergyman
who publishes it was, apparently, that
mothers should keep their children Off the
tracks.
1t seems to us to have different mean
ing, which every man can read for himself
We give the simple little story place,
therefore, among the histories Of the war,
and murders, and records of the police
court, for no practical lesson, but just as
one would hang bit of green landscape
on his wall on winter day. After all, in
spite Of the transient rain, there is under
all summer and God. 1t is worth while
to remind ourselves Of that now and then
We believe, too, with the speaking
engine-driver, that the conductor did moth
ing more than eight out Of ten manly
young fellows would have done in his po-
sition- Police reports and the daily press
bring the murders and the WEAKNESSES of
the world 20 constantly to the surface on
week days, and the clergy open our eyes to
human depravity 20 clearly on Sundays,
that we are apt to overlook the actual
honor and integrity in the mass of ordi-
nary people about us. We grow 90 bill
ious in our reforming zeal that IL Is worth
while to be shaken into more Christian
charity, and convinced that II II not . mat
ter of wonder to find Bayard In the poor
conductor OF freight train. or man in q
circus rlder.-Ness York Tribune.
A WASHINGTON school boy has griev-
ar<.o o,,H vvitea ah<,,t II IN tho Qkar TINS