Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-25

| tNh dSlhfA. GDd 9ahiDE swept The seas OF
Ltr elemiSs, she had now retired 10 these
lhtle fTequented Islands 10 rent. with the So
CURLY OF ship az home. IL is due Co the OH
oeIs; who SO promptly adopted, and 50 sac
eessfnlly executed this plan, 20 ada that
MS enterprise. seltrenance and skill tn
o0aIea man OF bold ana masculine
high degree OF moral courage. aualiyies that
are indispensable In forming s naval cap.
bar , ~ Ine way OF service TO the public per
| nels lhe greatest performed by The Essex was,
| IN protecting the American ships or ina pa
| Cimc. Lesrls all OF which would probably have,
IalIen INTO me hsnos OF the enemy but for her
| appearance In that ocean. But the nos,tIva
| Injury done the English commerce was lar nom
| tiinirg. The Essex had now capturet about
6r es Ions o. us seipp,ng; msse near four hun
ally Destroy ed its fisheries In this part ~ the
! world In october. lsl2. she had sailed from
| America alone, with six months provisions and
| the usual stores ia her; ami In October lSia
/ she was lying In perfect security, a. an Island
| on the Pacific. with respectable consoTt. sur
! roundtd 10y prizes and 10 possession OF all tue
| means that we're necessary 10 render a fdgate
/ CT her class efficient"
But this picture OF triumph. repose ana Sc
cprlty was not 10 last That great power whose
| nees encttcle the earth, and whose shIps or
| war are the pulwaTks OF her existence and
/ honor, was speedily on the track OF the Essex
IN Overwhelming force. Her brief but brilliant
/ career was destined 10 close In desperate and
sanguinary contest. with the odds OF two 10 one
/ against her on the 2sth OF March 1914 IN A
disabled condition, the Essex encountered the
"a
rate than herself, ana the two together carry
Ing i've hundred men as against two hundred
and nfty-ny on board the American. Captain
Porter had repeatedly challenged the Phpos.
his superior In guns and men. 10 single combat
and no higher compliment was ever paid 10
American y&lor than the refusal OF the English
captain 70 engage except with tive shi ps against
one. Farragut young as he was. had hi opin-
! lon OF the conduct OF the captain OF the Phd.oe
ana II is found recorded In his journal He
was oealng with a far inferior foIce. says Far
rsgut, 'sn1 IL was ignoble In the extreme on
bis part, mol 10 meet his foe when he had the
| ghost or al excuse for doing 80 ship TO ship"
Porter. however had taught even British
| courage the value OF discretion and the chiy-
airy or the ocean was, for once at least dsre-
| garded by British officers In their anxiety 20
! cestroy formidable antagonist The action
which ensued was sublime Ter It's courage ana
horrible In It's details on the part OF the Amer
lean. We read In history that sometimes youth
1ui warriors have been carried 10 flelds OF battle
| In order 10 receive the baptism OF military fire
Not one, IL all the long annals OF war, was
ever made more familiar with the appalling
| aspects OF dangrr, carnage and death than Far
| ragut became. at Porter's side on board tina
| Essex, OH valparaiso, when less than thirteen
years OF age; During nearly three terrific hours
| he was baptised ana consecrated 10 the service
or his country, pistol In hand and covered with
| the blood OF the wounded ana the dead He
saw me snip OF his urst love become unman-
| ageaple; lie saw her hulled at almost every shot
| by the ent my; he saw nearly all her guns dis
| abled; he saw her berth deck. storage ward
room and cockpit nlied with the wounded, who
| were sometimes shot 10 death under the hands
! or the surgeon; he saw but Seyenty.fiye men
| officers included, left from the havoc or death
nj for GUY; he saw Lieutenant Mcknight
When he was the only commissioned officer
who could Join Porter on the quarter deck for
consultation; he saw the ship on fire and the
| flames springfng up the hatchways he heard
| the roar OF powder explosions below and then
only he bsard the order TO cease the unequal
| hight, ana Vii bitter tears ana choking sobs
as he has himself recorded, he saw the lag OF
! his country lowered 10 the calculating and un-
generous foe. What school or instruction
| for one whose last birthday marked out twelve
years distance into the world! IL is pleasant
| 10 read that when Porter returned to New York
| a great ovation sprang up In his honor the
people Went, Wild over his splendid fame un-
hitchsd the horses from his carriage and with
theiroTn hands drew him all over the city,
| We can easily imagine that the grief OF young
Farragut over the loss OF the Essex found al
least some consolation In this patriotic circum-
| sta nee. Which be has carefully recorded.
| But the war OF 1912 did not teach merely
| by any one example. the lesson OF duty at
| home or OF respect abroad The Essex has a
two-fold right 20 mention on an occasion Ike
this: She was the training ship OF Farrarut's
youth. and commanded by David Porter: but
the whole line OF naval warfare on the Amer
lean side in the war OF 1912 was blaze OF
national glory. The very air was redolent or
the fame OF American men-or-war, and sailors
rights have never since been invaded On their
decks. The highest value OF war TO civilized
governments does not consist In mere physical
conquest, In the acquisition OF territory, the
spollation OF cities, the accumulation OF wealth
y. n
nifying war debt from the vanqulshed. The
nation which makes war except In defense OF
lis existence, or for the protection OF It's honor
la the persons and rights oil its citizens, or
ganizes murder and robbery. The war, how
ever, which was declared on the 18th day OF
June, 1872. by the United States against Great
Britain, was upheld by causes as sacred as
ever inspired men ia battle; ana the results
which II accomplished were more precious TO
the American name than the treasures OF the
world or the subjugation OF Kingdoms The
wi
Great Britain, during the first twelve years or
the present century, even now cannot be dwet
upon by an American without feelings or
wounded honor ana burning resentment It
Is obvious at glance that the young
hecubiic was not welcome amongst the
monarchieS OF Europe and that she was TO be
brow beaten, and nsulted, especially by the
English government The interests OF the
American people all lay In The direction or
peace; at home they were rapidly developing
those great Industries which ensures nations
progress, while as early as lS07 they had built
up u foreign trade which employed 700, 900 tons
OF American shipping alone. They were tasting
the sweets OF the first period of prosperity AFTER
the revolution, and they did not want war.
Their forbearance was great, and endured too
loDg. American commerce was made the sport
OF blockades, maritime DEGREES orders In coun-
Gil and the construction or bellgerent rights;
the right 10 seize ana search American ships
was enforced With shot and shell In American
waters; native born American Seanen were
dragged from beneath their counIry's flag and
Impressed into the British service until it Is q
ttl0 dGQ ntUCeut VI UlStOTy eAullS In llS
heart, when he reaches the point at which the
Congress OF the United States threw down the
gage Of battle. At that time the English navy
consisted OF nearly eight hundred efficient war
vessels IN active service; the American navy
consisted or seventeen; and yet we emerged
frOm that war new power IN the eyes OF The
world, ard more indebted for our national pres
uge 10 trfumphs upon the ocean than TO yicto-
ries on the land May ] lot be pardoned for
saying that the respect OF the world for our for
eign policy rests, not SO much on the arts OF
diplomacy. as upon the heroism OF the navy;
not so much on the dispatches OF min
listers OF state as upon bulletins announcing
the proves OF American valor at sea; not SO
much upon the records or the State department
as upon those which are filed In the department
10 which naval warfare belongs. It has long
been SAID that actions speak louder than words,
and IL is equally true that their memory is more
respected, and more enduring. The work per-
formed by the guns or the Constitution, the
United States, Tie Essex, the Enterprise, the
Hornet, the Wasp, and other American ships,
Will be remembered longer and with more salu-
tary consideration by foreign cabinets than any
diplomatic communications ever received by
them from this government. When the colors
OF England were pulled down under American
fire on the Macedonian, the Guerriere, the
Frolic the Java, the Peacock, the Boxer and
numerous other ships OF war, the supposed in
v1ncibility OF the British navy was bro sn for
ever and the Anne. lean character became at