Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-11-03
COURAGE.
How Grave captain Perishsd at sh,
Post of Duty

90 tald tho newspaper nOAd-llnes, and
wo read on, to find that tho post of duty
was the ship on which he sank The same
! tidings that brought death. knell TO thou
sands of hearts rang also the praise of the
man who refused TO survive the loss Of his
ship, but chung TO her and sank with her
/ beneath the cruel sea. Before wo knew
sught of the circumstances We had. at
least the solsce Of feeling that the captain
was no coward, and we thanked God for
! thsL
| ungracou. to speak Of the dead any.
/ thiig but good. The lips are closed that
might reply, the band Is still that might
/ defend But the dead body of the brave
| captain" is surrounded by three hundred
| dead, whose warm, throbbing, priceless
/ life had been entrusted 10 his care and
whose untimoly perishing sent qUivers of
/ anguish through two continents. Neither
can they defend nor they accuse. But facts
remain, and for the sake Of the living jus.
ticc should awake and give just jgdg-
menL
The commissioners appointed to inquire
into the circumstances and discover the
causes Of the disaster reported that the cap
tain ran his ship for days together in fog
| by dead reckoning, without sounding.
Aware that he was hard upon the most
dangerous and best-knOwn reef on the
English coast. h. neglected the very pre-
cautions prescribed by his Instructions.
The dead reckoning was iucorrect the ship
had come further than was supposed. But
the Admiralty directions for approaching
the English Channel ordsin n careful use of
the lead, and the company enjOins on its
commanders strict attention to the usual
precautions when making the land. Yet,
in spite OF the thick weather and the treach-
erous fog, this brave captain, with hun
Greds OF lives and thousands of hearts in
his keeping, neglected his duty, disobeyed
his orders disregarded his obligations, and
flung his ship upon the rocks and his pass
engers into the sea. " Had cast of lead
been taken an hour or half an hour before
the vessel struck it would have shown them
their proximity tC the danger al error in
their reckoning" say 3 the report of the in
vestigsting committee, and would prob
ably have sverted this ad disaster. The
entire neglect of the precautions laid down
for navigators when approaching Scillv
WAS the sole cause Of this terrible calamity"
Is courage any atonement for reckless
ness like this Did brave captain perish
at his post Of duty? say that faithloss,
reckless and wretched captain persisted at
the post of neglect and crime and infamy.
The weight of the woe he had wickedly
caused should have sunk his head deeper
than any sea could engulf him. The mere
courage of drowning is but a beastly yir-
tue. When man has wrecked name and
fortune and scores ofinnocent men, women
and children. he may we'll call upon the
rocks and the mountain waves to hide him
from the reproaches of his race. For what
had this miserable man to live for2 How
could he meet the owners of the ship he had
lost, tho friends Of the mon he had DESTROY
cd ? Whist was there for him in this world
but the blacknoss Of darkness forever Did
il require most courage to Zee from it or
face il?
Last winter. in Washington, a fair, grace.
full, gentle girl was Frightening one OF those
many charming homes which mako Wash
ingtOn so delightful winter residence
Wit and beauty, taste and culture presided
there, and genius and art were not wanting
Into this home came the lovely girl and
formed one of its happy circle. Nor were
youth and lovelinc5s her sole attractions
but her mind had been 50 we'll trained, and
her time so we'll spent that Der manifold
accomplishments, her ungirlish lore were
theme for good bsdinagG, which
her modesty and her mirth alike repelled
In the heydsy Of youth, with pleasure and
usefulness bcCkouing to her, and high hope
ard the promise of long and glorious life,
she took passage tor Europe, and hope and
love and life, were beaten down into the
raging waters By this brave captain, perish
ing at the post of duty.
Oht Jay dlbIlt anu DIL llsL-
iessly at the hotel, | noticed at table near
mo a lady whose beauty, elegance, and
daintiness attracted my attention. The
years had touched her very tenderly. The
curling gray hair was scarcely softer than
the gracious face beneath it; the flashing
rings not more beautiful than the hand they
adorned. Two or three handsome and
stately gentlemen accompanied or accosted
her: and in their Difference and friendliness
..v,A .y,h r, 81 49,
almost say careSsing manners II was easy to
see that here was such lady as the poet
limned, who had
- But fed on the roses and lain in tho lilies
Of life"
/ was curious and interested enough to
learn her name: and two days after came
the news that her only daughter-amiable
accomplished, full ofpromise. weil-beloved
had met her death ut the hands of this
brave captain. 1 had seen the mothers
face just in time to feel the blow.
And all the world has read of that young
woman who was fast pressing on into, If
she had not already attained the front ranks
of women: that beloved physician who was
too much engaged in doing to have much
leisure for talking, who was so simply de-
voted to her work and so brilliantly and
benevolently successful in her work that no
one thought to ask whether she had any
right to do II or not. The good she might
have wrought in the healing of disease
the further good Of showing by that most
true of all tests, success, how well and wise
ly 3 woman may live outside of her
sphere honorable need of fame and
the sweet experience of happiness-the sea
has swept them all away. One still willy
night, one brave captain perishing ut the
post Of duty-snd nothing is left but a
kneeling figure diifusing calm, a dead face
smiling peace, and the uncovered heads
and reverent hands Of fishermen rescuing
from the deep its prize. Truly, the brave
captain did great work At his post of
duty.
Let it be thoroughly and forever under
stood that death is tho poorest possible APP
ology for an evil life, that man can not
betray his trust and think TO escape con.
domination by dying. He may take him
self out Of the realm Of human punishment.
but not cut Of tho human sentence. nor
can his children so escape heritage OF woe
What the world wants is not remorse and
despair, calling themselves by the name of
courage and flying 10 the refuge of death
but the courage Of life-failh prudence
truth fidelity 70 obligation, absolute, un.
improbable ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS captains
who viii drop their lead into the sea- not
foolish ones who, too late, will drop them.