Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-12-09
Heroes.

have not spoiled the old strain, civiliza-
ton has not washed out its strength for
what is heroism, after all, but contempt
of death, disregard of life and Of all that !
makes life precious, as set against
honor? The old Stagirite-whose
treatise is the one work which we pos
sess in which the moral nature of man
seems adequately analyzed--places,
courage, or, as the Hcllenes called it,
'.manliuess," highest of all the virtues.
His sketch of the manly man stands
out even now. clear, distinct, beautiful
as an Attic temple in the blue and gold
en- light of an Athenian morning. Crit
ics-young men at Oxford discover
with wonder that it is ''very modern in
its tone, forgetting that truth is of all
time, and will always be modern" to
those who hold that each age has, or
ought to have, special light of its own.
Manliness, says Aristotle, shows itself
in contempt of what men hold terrible,
and prc-eminently in contempt of that
which men hold the most terrible of all
things, namely, death-death beyond
which lies nothingness, at the stroke of
which whatever we care for and hold
dear melts away into darkness. But this
is not all. Mere contempt of death even
the stupid barbarian can show. Bravest
is he who, knowing all that he has to
lose, yet unfinchingly prefers death to
shame who-like the Spartans that
went out to hold Thermopyla against
the whole strength of the East-can bid
farewell to wife and child, to parents
and home, and set boldly out on march
from which his feet will never return
Centuries have rolled away since Aris-
totle wrote his Ethics Christianity
has taught us what the Greek philoso-
pher stoutly denied-the value of the
belief in our Immortality and has put
in place of the Hellenic ideal of honor
of the Kalon-om modern notion of
duty. But yet the Aristotlelian "natu-
raj history of manliness,' if we may so
call it, remains as true as it was when
that wise and clear thinker penned ii
for the reading of the worlds greatest
conqueror. The hero, the brave and
really manly man. is he who prefer:
duty to life, who can see nothing before
him but the duty who simply, quietly
and unostentatiously does nothing else
Is it too much to boast that Englishmel
above all others hold it pride and glory
thus to die. They were English soldier
who-when the boats with the womel
and children, and sailors sufficient t.
man them, pulled away from the i'll
fated Birkenhead-stood to their col
ors upon deck, and went down eacl
man in his place, as unmoved as thougl
they were standing upon parade.
; But, noble as is the tale of Birken
head, it yet finds its parallel, in the ac
count of the death of Paul Elson, Englis
pilot, in charge of the ship Rothesay
) On the 29th of July, this vessel whic
, had three days before cast off the Ca
: cutta tug and stemmed safely out of th
horrible jungles and swamps of the Sur
derbunds. was caught by cyclone. o
the 30th she lay wreck, all hope {
saving her long past Then the pilo
Paul Elson-the man who seems to hay
had his wits about him-collected fe
volunteers and rugged raft. Thrice
only of the crew got on her; the re
were frantic with terror-some prayin,
others drunk, others raving, others lasl
ed inextricably to the sinking vesse
Elson was the last to leave the ship
: leaping overheard, he swan to the raj
cut the hawser that held her, and COZ
. stituted himself by inherent right h
: sole officer. Within an hour the door
ed vessel heeled, lurched heavily, al
= went down head first. All that day al
i all that night the raft drifted, heaV
- seas breaking over her; 1--WE were up
our necks in water, says the man WI
> tells the tale, 'for she foated low
= All that night, however, Elton, who w
= powerful swimmer, swan round al
>, round the raft, lashing her together al
" strengthening her as best he could. E
er and anon the furious breakers wash
o man off. And then would the bra
p pilot, who had not only the heart
lie the strength of a giant, strike out to
: ards him and carry the drowning wret
er back. But at last it became appare
n that the raft must be broken up, a
ne that a second and smaller raft must
D. constructed to relieve the other Tn
m too, the pilot effected almost singlehan
ct ed. The huge raft foated away il
m night. Elson and three other men to
nd to the smaller; while on the other dri
en- ed away native boy, Paul Elson's S
de want; Of whom, hitherto, in the midst
es all his terrible toll the brave pilot h
sr- never once lost sight. He kept n,
W him he tended him as mother wol
wv tend her child; he gave him our |
} l supply of drlnkable water The V
IN. sci had sunk on the 3oth of July