Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-08-26
Dead on the Field Of Honor" !"

A few weeks ago. a steamer with hundreds
Of men and helpless women and children
vas on fire within few miles Of New York
The captain. finding that nothing could be
done 10 save her, took the wheel, ran her
aground. and KEEP, her steady there. with the
deck burning below him and the flame.
licking his face and the hands with which
he held her, until the las, man had chance
to save himself l, was the old story OF
Jim Bludsoe: III hold her nozzle agen
the bank till the last galoo,s ashore. =
Th. man did il. A reporter found the cap
tain a few day. later in hospital. his
burned head swa,hed in bandages. II was
supposed that he would lose both his eyes
IAN the world is praising YOU" said the
visitor. II am glad they think was not
lacking in duty. did what seemed the
righ, thing to do at the time" said the sailor
quietly.
Last "wednesday leak occurred in the
Hudson River Tunnel In an instant TWEEN
,y-eigbt men found death facing them. and
death in the mos, horrible, hopeless form (:
they must be choked underground like rats
in hole. with water and mud. There was
no time for preparation or thought; the
river was bursting in on them. One man,
Peter Woodland. Dane. came to the front,
COOL intelligent, collected There was a
chance that eigh, Of the men could be saved
BY breaking the glass bullseye bu, when il,
Vas broken his own instant death must re-
suit l, is probable that in tha, brief mo
ment he counted the cost He was an edu-
Gated man, TO whom life had given much ;
h. was young. strong; he had a wife and
little children. IL saw his face" says one
of the survivors, las he looked through the
glass a, US; it was CHASTITY pale. His voice
sounded strange. He gave the order,
Break the bullseye' 1--WE knew there was
no chance for him after that was done. and
hesita,ed. But he shouted again, Knock
out the bullseye, and do what you can for
the rest of us,' They obeyed and were
saved. Woodland and the others were
drowned.
Our clergymen need not 20 back to Bible
teaching TO find good word with which to
cheer their hearers. Ii is here. Two men,
not ancient Greek. and Romans, but New
Workers, belonging to our streets and every
day life, workingmen, had souls strong and
high enough to enable them to face death
without finching at an instant's call, and
calmly to choose it that they might save the
lives of some Of their fellow-men. The
world has always made much Of its heroes
who die in the battle or tor q great cause.
The dauntlcss three who held the bridge |;
Nelson dying in Hardy's arms the Maid
burning at the stake-these are possessions
that belong to Us all, ennoble US all they
stir the blood in the boys veins from gener-
alton to generation. The great Maker Of
US all sends such men among US from time
to time, in the fraud and meannesses and
corruption Of everyday life like great
thoughts to refresh US. DO not let US be
blind to them because they die in the mud
Of the Hudson River instead Of at Rome or
ThermopylR. There was no heroic rage Of
battle, no great cause, to uphold Peter
Woodland when be chose to die in that tun-
mel the other day. The men he saved were
not his kinsfolk, nor even his friends they
were strangers-the lsborers whom he su-
perintended. There was no applause to
gain, no enemy in sight to kindle his cour-
age. nothing but the foul muddy food COM
ing in on him. No man. in such case, could
so nobly die who had not nobly lived. No
man, in the imminent moment Of death,
could coolly choose the best and manifest
action. and do it, who had not, in every
hour Of his ordinary daily life, habitually
struggled for the highest ground and the
best and manifest part open to him.
What sermon can be preached in any
pulpit like to this? In England little
cross would be affixed to this poor Danes
breast before burial; o dull leaden thing,
bearing only the words "For Vslor;" but
it would signify that the whole nation hon.
ored and were grateful to the dead man for
his deed. We have no cross to give but let
Us thank God that such men have lived and
died to honor and better their race. What
matters it, too, where he died? This hero
meets his fate in battle, that in hole un-
derground; this poor patient woman in q
wretched commonplace house fighting back
poverty from her children. They found en-
trance to the same Shore "All places on
which the eye Of God doth rest are to the
brave man ports and happy havens."
T. Ttibuas