Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-06

Every now and i" Kiner, Of the Gen
eseo Meios, gets i moralizlng, and he
speaks some wholesome truths in an ode
way. This week he gets off the follow
ing:
Geneseo harbored last week two pro-
nounced types of a class of men who are
fast disappearing from the earth. They
were John Dillon and j. G. Lumbard
| Husky, mellow men are they of old
Dillon has been spoken of as reminis-
cense. SO he is. And so Is Lumbard
"reminiscences are they of ante,bellum
days. Coeval are they with the firing on
Fort Sumpter, the battle OF Bull Run,
the Recruiting Stations. and all the rest
OF the grim features of horrid wars red
| visage. John Dillon was in the fullness
of his glorious prime then. He was also
commonly full OF prime glory. extracted
from corn by the insIdious worm of the
still. J. G.. Lumbard and his brother
Frank in those days went about among
the war meetings singing patriotic songs.
Iuneful bards were they. Frank sang in
the Geneseo park a quarter of century
ago, aud the stirring manner in which
he piped his lays was the melting
cause of many a poor lad, frenzied
by the patriotic zeal engendered in
his bosom by the war songs of this
fiery troubadour, putting down his
name on the fateful roll, and joining
regiment to go to the front. Frank Lum
bard is dead. lie did as much as any man
to stir up the war feeling in Illinois. He
was a true son of the soil, pioneer
man who, like John Dillon the comedian.
partook of the zeal-laden spirit of corn
and rye. His brother, J. G., is like him
in this regard, He is, withal, n magnia-
cent specimen of manhood. His distin
guished air NAL him marked man
wherever he goes. Men involuntarily
turn and look back at his stately figure,
when passing him on the street. He has
for some years acted Ms travelling western
representative of the freight interests of
the Pittsburg, Fort WAYNE u Pennsyl
vania railway. He is a man of infinite
jest, and of large and benign presence.
Governor Oglesby is another of these rug
ged "war horses" OF old; and DR.. Gregg
of Rock Island is another. DR.. Gregg
has been government surgeon at
the great Rock Island arsenal since
the war, till within few years. He
was retired owing to his extreme
age, vergIng upon ninety years. Long
John Wentworth, of Chicago. is another |
of this romantic class of men. T'.-re is |
about these men that savors of
the half horse, half alligator" school |
We mean no disrespect in the use of this |
but on the contrary wish il |
to sound large measure of admiration
for type of man large of nature, stats
ure, bone and sinew, Of rough and ready
of quick perception, keen in
sight and dauntless nerve. The kind of
men. in short, whom other men naturally
look up to in times OF danger, and who
tower aloft by reason of their own mas
sive superiority in the crisis of life.
They are men with faults, but they are
as certainly sons of the soil as are the
Daks that toss their giant arms aloft in
.he storm, and stretch them with rude
over the lesser trees of the for
EST in the calm. The fungus may grow
Upon the noble oak, anc the many>win>
cred crow may clamor there; but when
We seek for timber for ships that will safe.
y ride the raging seas, we instinctiVely
elect the rugged monarch OF the woods,
md safely put our trust in his turgid
imberS.