Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-01-21
A Wave of Great Men.

Mr.. Gladstone's eighty-third birthday
Dec. Cereals the fact that there
seems to have been veritable wave Of
great men precipitated upon the world
In the year 1909 for some reason. Per-
haps the world needed them just then.
1t may be better able to take care of it
self now. Hence there is only one Glad
stone, only one Bismarck-and he in
forced INTERNATIONALLY no Wellington or
Napoleon at all, or any living poet or
novelist of the very first rank.
Be that as it may, of men who have
lived and done great work for humanity
In the Nineteenth century surprising
number first looked on the light of day
A. D. 1909. This is true in all fields of
achievement, particularly perhaps those
of literature, science and craftsmanship.
It is a noteworthy fact that Charles Oar
win and Abraham Lincoln were born on
the same day-Feb. 10, 1909. 1t is note
worthy, too, that the lives of these two
great men were lives of suffering, ap-
preaching martyrdom. Darwin, on ac-
count of his health, seldom had day Of
peace or physical ease, yet he revolution
lied the field of human thought Lin.
coins life was such pilgrimage of men,
tai suffering and silent pain that the av-
erage mortal shrinks back appalled, and
would refuse to drink his cup even for
the prize Of being, after Washington, the
most illustrious American In history.
There is a popular belief that Lincoln
and Jefferson Davis were born in the
same year. This is not true. Davis was
born in June, 1908.
Another perennial name, another life
full of wild pain and crying in the night,
we meet in Edgar Allan Poe, also born
In that weird year, 1909. An American
poet whose life is far happier is still with
us-Oliver Wendell Holmes. He came to
rs first, one of the worlds sunbeams, in
1909. Sunbeams cannot grow old, and
DR.. Holmes is eighty-three years young.
We find, too, that Hannibal Hamlin is
one Of the cropof distinguished men that
nature showered upon the United States
in 1902 Benjamin Pierce, the Harvard
mathematician; Albert Pike, the southern
soldier and poet; Raphael Semmes, the
Confederate admiral, were also born that
year.
In 1909, in quiet corner of Virginia,
there came upon our planet man who
was to revolutionize methods Of agricul-
ture as effectually perhaps, though with
little noise and heralding, as Darwin
revolutionized theories Of the develop
ment of life. His name was Cyrus Hall
Mccormick, practically inventor Of the
first device to substitute machine fol-
hand labor in farming. Mccormick
reaper and mower was the pioneer of the
giant steam plows and thrashing ma
chimes that now make harvesting picnic
to be looked forward to. Cyrus McCor'
mick made it possible for America tc
supply bread to the world. His machine.
went to Europe, to Mexico and TO the
pampas in South America.
On the other side of the water one Of
the 1909 boys was Alfred Tennyson
who this year passed in music out Of
sight" the greatest poet OF the Nine
teenth century. Let us hope that the
Twentieth century viii contribute as il
lustrious poet to literature, and thai
the Twentieth century poet will be ar
American. 1t is our turn now. MARI
Lemon, too, humorist, philosopher ani
true friend to struggling literary genius
editor Of London Punch from its frs
appearance to his death in 1870, wa,
born in 1909. So were the French states
man Jules Fsvre and the German states
man Count Won Beust. OF all thess
famous men only Gladstone in England
and Oliver Wendell Holmes In Americs
are left.