The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-06-01


viii aid to his utmost in his elevation, and
they are proud to do this.
The night express train is at the station.
Ten magnificent palace and drawing room
coaches are crowded with families crossing
the continent. That huge iron monster
steed stands kissing and seething as if in
patient for the race.
HUMBLE MECHANIC
Is seen approaching. He has said good
bye to his wife and children, and after
scanning with his trained eye every part of
the monster engine of power and of destruc-
ton, he steps up to his cab, and seizing with
a firm hand the lever, he dashes out into the
night, over prairies. up and down steep
grades-on he flies over rayines and gulches,
crossing bridges suspended in the air.
While scores of men, women and children
sleep peacefully in their berths, his watchful
eye is strained to scan the few yards of track
revealed to him by his trusty headlight, il
perchance a strange light or a missing sig
nal should warn him of misplaced switch
or broken rail. On he pIunges, down the
mountain gorge, skirting the edge of fear
full precipiee. single bar of steel holds
his precious freight from the abyss below
. On until the morning ends his night of toll
and he steps down to snatch a few hours of
rest and sleep that a night he may retrace
his perilous flight. To provide for the wants
of his family, and to meet every demand of
the world upon his purse, he receives the
paltry sum of twelve hundred dollars per
year.
The night was dark. A cold drizzling
rain added to the cheerlessness of the scene.
Our advanced picket paced his lonely beat
on q hillside in Virginia. The officer of the
guard had forbidden him to speak except in
a whisper, as we might be near the enemy.
His thoughts wander away to his home in
Green Mountains State, and his mother,
who for two years has never slept but with
the breath of prayer on her lips for her SOL
der son. His vigilant ear is open to catch
the Sigh test sound. His heart is cheered as
he discerns the first rays of coming morn.
Hark It's a rife shot. The unseen bullet
has pierced his brain, and
OUR PICKET IS DEAD.
History informs us that "early that
morning our picket5 were annoyed by the
enemy's sharpshootsrs.' Unwritten his
tory tells us of the bitter anguish of that
fond mothers heart who thought she had
laid her son on the altar of his country, but
now she cannot be comforted, because she
knew not where they had laid her boy.
But we must not stop to bury our COM
rade. The camp is alarmed the long roll
has sounded . to arms q fall i'm Our
gallant Colonel dashes along our line and
shouts, " Boys, Connecticut expects every
man to do his duty to-day but his words
are lost in the laundering crash of the shell
thrown into our line, sTewing the ground
about US with the mangled bodies of our
comrades. g Forward" is the order. Look
the enemy is close upon US we are vastly
outnumbered, and our lines wave under
the rain of bullets. But our artillery has
reached our right, and we grow stronger
and drawer as it belches it's thunder into the
enemy's ranks. But look again; the rebels
are turning our left-dismay seizes every
heart. But what means that cloud of dust
IT'S our gallant cavalry sweeping up the
valley like a rushing, mighty wind. Now
we rally, and together, with
ONE DESPERATE CHARGE,
Heediug not the slaughter we have driver
the enemy from his position, captured hi'
works, and plan ted the stars and stripes OF
/ that hill top. History says that our Colone
at the head of the Third Brigade made
brilliant dash, captured the enemys works
with fifteen pieces of artillery, 800 prisoners
and a large amount of supplies, with
! loss on our side of only eighty killed
and 1876 wounded. The result of that dash
made our Colonel Brigadier General, ant
we were all proud of him. To-day, a score o.
widows and orphan children, aged and in
| firm sires, whose only prop in their declin
ing years did not return: grief-strieken
! hearts, softened in a degree by score o.
! intervening years, yet yearning, on eacf
recurring Memorial Day, to know where or
! that hillside sleep their loved ones.
| people born and reared under the soft
ening and refining influences of the highes
! Christian civilization may well ask wha
! inspired men to deeds of bravery anG
/ self-sacrifce in the campaigns of Napoleon
/ and other ambitious leaders before the prin
ciples of popular liberty had gained foot
ing in the great countries of Europe. DE-
men, so tenacious of life rush on to danger
| laying their lives on the altar of another:
ambition? Do men face storm after storm
of bullets, shot and SHE'LL
FOR THE GLORY OF LEADER,
Whose only aim is his own ACKNOWLEDGMENT
without thought or care for the elevation
| or larger liberty of those at whose expense
he is raised to power? In 1912 Napoleon
then at the zenith of his glory as a con
| queror, having outraged ciYilizat ton by his
/ despotic DEGREES, and finding Russia muir
muring at the burdens imposed upon her
resolved to invade that country, and il
June of that year crossed the Neimer
at the head of 100000 men. In less than
six months he had returned to France, haY
ing abandoned the feeble remnant of thai
vast army, now less than $4,000 men. A few
months later he marched into Germany al
the head of 900 fresh troops. After
another six months of slaughter he re-
crossed the Rhine, having lost four-ffths Of
that great army. Ten months later he hac
escaped from Elba, and had no sooner
planted his feet on French soil than the
whole French army went out to him
together with some of his old Marshals
ready and eager to follow the fortunes Of
their once brilliant and successful leader
who so soon ended his career, and was ban