The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-09-14
Highest Of all in Leavening povcr-La,estC L. 5. Govt Report
cIoCiPl me AND. CHARACTER,

4 Tribute :" the li"stere Training Which
Produced n Alau Like Tryon.
To Il minds the charm of Admiral
Tryon's bearing in the hour Of his fate j.
h perfection of the syetem4 which 10,
centuries has bred men capable of his
conduct and his DEATH They have moi
had his opportunity CT being visible, no,
his strangely Genie surroundings, moi
perhaps the temperament which could
nave inspired them to that farewell in
h Of disappearance, 'but there
have been, hundreds of u.en in the navy,
and even III the merchant service. who
would have died as bravely as he did.
1t - the tradition Of both services
not. we think. the order-that the high
est III rank on a ship in peril must be the
last to quit the vessel; that. as occurred
a few years ago. even a stowaway, who
Is almost Il criminal in sailors eyes. must
take precedence of the captain in secrr,
ing safety. The origin Of the rule is. we
fancy. policy-that the state or the own
er be protected by the captains author.
lty t. TIE last-but il la, become an eli
quette and a pride. and in the records of
80 '" "I''hS WI VIII uutl FEW IN
which it was ever broken. The cap
tain was the last to leave the ship is the
end of almost every telegram of marine
disaster.
In other words, discipline has continued
for centuries under the pressure of the
same necessities. and the same ideas. has
eXtlnSulshed IN IA class by no means de-
VOID either OF faults or vices. most ma
tural and tempting form Of seltshness
has induced a whole series of men. many
of them hardly educated. TO face a slow
and painful form Of death rather than
fail in the performance Of "A professional
duty. That Is a wonderful result of train
ing, and 1t Is one which makes those who
see II clearly doubt whether the modern
world i altogether in the right path.
The old ideal for the formation Of
character was discipline. hardship. pres.
sure. alike from the law and from teach.
ers and from opinion, and it certainly
produced many Of the virtues. especially
that one of obedience. which the world
everywhere but on shipboard-where
there are few unrealities and men carry
their lives III their. hands-has taken to
HfA-' IL Alio'itA1i litd Is IldI dis |
clpline even for children is All oppressive
thing: that it turns men into machines
and it quenches Observation-Disclosures il is
IN short, unpleasant. whereas pleasant
ness is the end of life.
We see the result of the change IN tn.
of many forms of oppres-
sion. and a lighter atmosphere for men
TO move III. inc we see ii also in III.
slow disappearance of many noble ele-
'nen;s i'll character. The old system.
working with good material. produces
As its perfect result Admiral Tryon. The
WORKING also OH the right material, !.
the British agitator. :
Admiral Iryon was no doubt a brave
nan and gentleman without help from
he service or lis traditions, but the
a annealed his character into
1t was. something for a nation to
be proud of. which would hardly have
,een exhibited or have existed amid the
ndiscii line and softness of civil life.
When Il hears of such a man SO meet
ng such an end. it is difficult not to
oubt whether liberty as now inter !
reted Is such a perfectly good thing; !
Thether instant obedience to command 7.
no better training: whether pressure .
rom all sides, from service rules, opin- n
IN and hardship together. does not weld .
len into something worthier of the As 1
which. while men have con- 8
they never quite get rid Of :
ondon Spectator.