The sun., 1893-03-26

matrimony. heightened life. and brought
peace and comfort to uncounted households.
Unwittlugly though they be OF their desert,
shall we not call them social reformers OF
high and truly noble degree1
Minister Pierce's Progress to Lisbon.
Our relations with Portugal are very
friendly. and commercially extensive. The
Minister Resident and Consul General at
Lisbon Is an important diplomatic offacer OF
the Government.
We respectfully call the attention Of the
Department Of State to the heroic efforts
which our present Minister Resident and
Consul General to Portugal is making to
reach his post Of duty In order to exercise
his diplomatic functions aud to earn the
liberal salary aud travelling allowances
which he draws from the United States
Treasury. Nothing like this story has been
told or sung since HOMER recited the wan
derings Of ODvssRUs on his clrcuitous Jour-
ney from nium to Ithaca.
Minister BATcHELLER resigned his oflce
some time last year. After proper deliber-
alton. President HARRIsoN decided to nomi-
nate the Hon. GILBERT ALLARoUND PIERCE
OF Minnesota and North Dakota as Minister
to Portugal. Mr.. PIERCE belongs partly to
North Dakota. because until quite recently
he represented that new State In the
United States Senate. He belongs partly
to Minnesota. because he lives In Minneap-
oils and edits the Minneapolis Tribune
This weil-considered nomination was sent
to the Senate on Jan. 4 and confirmed In
executive session two days later. on Jan. 6.
The Hon. GILBERT ALLARoUND PIERCE
promptly accepted the call to duty. Only
two months Of President HARR1 SONS Ad-
ministration remained. but the Minister to
Portugal doubtless felt that even in sixty
days a patriot can be Of considerable ser.
vice to his country.
By superhuman eXertions. the Minister to
Portugal managed to catch the Fuerst Bis
marck. which sailed from New York on Feb.
4. just one month after his nomination.
His lightning preparations for departure
used up one-half OF his available term
OF service under the Administration that
appointed him. There may be those who
are disposed to critlcise Minister PIERCE
for unnecessary delay in starting: but such
critics are unaware that. by q curious COIN
cidence. Section 1 .74o OF the Revised Statutes
provides that the salary OF a Minister Rest
dent and onsul-General covers the period
before his departure. providing he is "actu-
ally and necessarily occupied in receiving his
instructions" and that the period Of prep
aration does not exceed thirty days. 1t
will be observed that Minister PIERCE was
within the law. He did not miss one days
salary by delaying his departure until
Feb. 4. instead Of sailing on Jan. Z. or Jan.
II. Moreover. by another very fortunate CO.
incidence. pleasant party OF Minneapolis
people. his friends and admirers, had en-
gagged passage on the Fuerst Bismarck for
her February date Of sailing. As the Min
lister had never before in all Of his life
been abroad. he probably reasoned to
himself that his official usefulness and the
safety OF our relations with Portugal would
be promoted II he travelled in company
with those who could give him advice. in
formation. assistance. and personal sup
port. So he sailed from New York on Feb.
4. ACCOMPANIED by his family, his Mime
apolis friends. and his Private Secretary.
For intelligence as to his subsequent
movements we must depend upon q series
Of letters which the Minister to Portugal
has written to the Minneapolis Tribune un-
der the title OF "The Editor Abroad" We
binary narrative Of the Minister'S struggle
to reach Lisbon. with increasing admira-
ton for the heroic quality Of his patriotism.
and increasing surprise that such q man
should have consented. even to oblige BEN
JAM1S HARRISON. to accept diplomatic Office
for period necessarily too short to enable
him to do himself full justice. The Mime
dpolis Tribune of March 6 contained the
Minister'S first semi-o0lcial report. illus
trated by beautiful picture OF the ship
which bore him to his post OF duty. We OBJ
serve that slight misapprehension has led
Minister PIERCE to label the vessel First
Bismarck. The spelling Is OF no conse-
quence. Much more important is the Min
ister's frank tribute to the calmness and
high spirit OF patriotic devotion with which
he embarked on his perilous voyage:
~ rode from tho hotel in New York to the steamer
with about the aAme emotion ! experienced when
gong to tho depot for = tTip to Chicago or New
York Viewed the crowd on board with perfect COM
posure; but when the band forward began to
play when the 2nngwAysswung ANA the handk srchiefs
the dock began waving like the salute In Chsutau.
qua assembly. little lump climbed into my throat,
and IT easier to stand silent the huge teamer
backed into the stream and turned her prov toward the
sea and steamed away from the new world to the old"
Tho Minister escaped any serious attack
OF seasckness. "It Ia with unexplainable
pride" he remarks. "that l write that
have been regular visitor to the dining
room. for cannot free myself of tho oon-
sciousness that l. as well as the Secretary.
have shown myself a good sailor" Tho
voyage to Gibraltar was uneventful, and
the Hon. GILBERT ALLARoUND PIERCE bus
led himself with kindly observation OF the
pecullarities Of his fellow passengers. watch
ing but not investing In the smoking room
pools. and accumulatiag information as to
the customary amount OF fees to the stew
ards at the end of the voyage. But while
the traveller was taking things PLEASANTLY.
the diplomat was not asleep. A hundred
brief little notes OF statistical and lnterna-
tional interest found their way to his mem
orandum book. to be elaborated hereafter
in his formal renOrtS to the DeDa tmant NJ