The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-10-05
A STOUT HEART AND TRUE PLUCK.

y
with recitals of deeds of heroism and
prowess and chivalry and daring upon the
battle field and such-like conspicuous
places. But in the duieter walks OF lie
there be as grand heroes in their way as he
that is knighted on the CORY plain. Ihere
be deeds OF personal courage that
whilst they should laurel the individual,
exalt humanity through the example. we
admire the sublime bravery of RHoDERIcK
DHu as like the angry wave-deiy-
ing beats, he cries out sooner
than shall this rock from lts
firm base fly" Who is there that has not
had his word of praise for the fourteen
year-old boy, CAsADIANcA, who STOOD upon
the burning deck" and died at his post
rather than disobey his commander faith
er's word? AS long as lasts the Englsh
language, its letters will syllable tho na"ie
of JOHN HowA On, the Dritlsn philanshiop.
fsU, of FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, the angel
heroine, whose deeds of mercy have SO
helped to make the name OF woman more
blessed than ever before. These are Illus
trations made historic because OF the ma
tional events TRANSPORTING, ofwhich they were
a part. But there is another kind OF nero
ismthat crops out spontaneously and whefe
and how least expected, and stand out as
isolated occurrences. Of such kind was
jim BLuDsoE's, who, when the tr'ghtlu'
flames threatened momentarily to engul
and burn him to blackened crisp, refused
to obey the calls of those ashore to leave the
boat, responding in his rough, but honest
way, "never, till the last galsot's ashore,
I'll hold her nozzle agin the bank" Or such,
too, was the act of the little boot-black
in the great fire in New York last winter,
as amidst the sheets of the..red- hot lappingsi
he assembled telegraph pole, Ratchet in
hand, 10 cut the wires so that they mlght
be used as descending cord for men and
women at the windows OF the burning
building. And now to the list of such glo'
rious characters comes the piiot
JOHN .SToUT, of the lll-starreo
steamer, Robert Z. Lee, on last
Saturday at Yucatan island. There atshis
most of duty with the fire-tiend cracking
smuggling, charring all about him IN IT.
rapid, mad career, almost the last nope o.
escape gone, the firm hand of that gallant
shirt held to its wheel until the engineer
cried out to him that the boat had made the
shore. Then, but not till then. did he rush
through the flames 70 save himself by lear
from the hurricane roof. The beseechine
appeals of his. friends he heard, but there
1
was call that knocked louder at his hones'
heart: the danger to himself he appre
hended, but to save the lives of others he
! preferred to risk his own. Seliishness ben
in humble obedince to the higher demands
of trusting humanity. Never flaw IN thu
bright Jewel of his courage, never
mail in the silver nerve that pressed
that wheel to duty. There he stood thu
grand emb odiment of that great virtue thai
all men admire and all true women love
courage and selfsacriiice under duty in thu
hour of trial. 1t makes one esteem lii'
the more and to higher exalt his species it
recognize that beneath the rough exterior o
these quiet, modest unpretending mer
there pulse hearts as stout as ever animated
the boldest hero on the field
of blood, or beat IN h'
breast of mother for her child. The
world is better for such characters, and thu
bright examples of their conduct are COS
pels to advance the cause of civilization
itself. No song can properly sound theil
praises, no epitaph adequately record thei
deserts.