The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-14
OUR GREAT NAVAL HERO
TALUABLE PAPER ON ADMIRAL
 FOOTE, BY REV. F. s. LINES.

Ancestry and Boyhood of the Admiral Striking Traits Observed in the Boy and Man-His High Rank Among Illustrious Naval Commanders.
 The Rev. E. S. Lines read a most in- teresting and valuable paper on "Ad- miral Foote" before St. Paul's Church club last evening. A portion of the paper follows:
 ''rhe state of Connecticut has not shown the pride in it's history which was fitting, and has not held in deserv- ed honor it's great men. There is truth in the remark concerning the New Eng land states, that Connecticut made his tory and Massachusetts wrote history.
 ''The story of New England has been written from the Massachusetts stand point, and so it has been commonly ac- cepted. While national pride ought to rise above state pride, and feeling for the whole country ought to go be- fore feeling for the state, 1t is good for us to keep in mind and to treasure the names and deeds of the men who have honored the commonwealth. The story of her noblest sons will not be told too often or remembered too we'll. It will be an inspiration to better thinking and better doirg to recall what men trained among our Connecticut valleys and hills did for the nation and for us. to tpII thu ctnIsU nf of Connecticut sons whose fame is to be enduring-the story of John A. Foote, admiral He was born here in New Haven, September 12, 1906. You will see the house marked as the place of his birth at the corner of Union and Fair streets, and it is little to our cred it that it is now used for a dram shop. He came of good New England stock. His ancestors. eight generations re- moved, came from England to Massa- chusetts in 1880, and five years later he made one of 8 company of emigrants to the valley of Connecticut and settled at Wethersfeld The family were in the next generation in Branford, and from that time were most honorably associated with the colony of New Ha- ven, whether in military, civil or relig- ious affairs.
 ssJohn Foote, the grandfather of the admiral, was a graduate of Yale col Iege and pastor of the Congregational church in Cheshire for fifty years, liv- ing until 1913. The great-grandfathe and grandfather of the admiral were pastors of the church for nearly one hundred years one succeeding the other.
 His father, Samuel C. Foote, was United States senator from 1927 to 1888 and governor in 1884 and 1885. It was he who introduced the resolution in the United States senate concerning the public lands which led to the famous debate between Webster and Hayne.
 ''In 1913 the family removed to Chesh- ire and in a fine old house, still stand ing, they made their home until Gen. eral Foote's death in 1846
 "A good many stories and incidents of Admiral Foote's boyhood home have been preserved. They bring him before us as bright, intelligent, active boy, full of fun, good natured, ready to play or fight as opportunity required. He was not a studious boy, fond of his books, but an altogether natural, reas- onable manly kind of a boy, not preco- cious, not moving friends and neigh bors to make prophecies of his future greatness. His was a strict New Eng land training after the Puritan fashion. Religion was made a serious and pre- else part of his daily life. Sunday be- gan at sunset on Saturday and all play and ordinary work were suspended un- til Sunday evening had come and the boy could see three stars in the sky.
 His brother said that the admiral in later life, in storm or danger at sea, never looked more anxiously for stars in the heavens than at the close of Sun days as a boy in the Cheshire home. He was pupil in our diocesan school, the Episcopal academy at Cheshire, and one of it's greatest sons.
 His schoolmaster Secretary Gideon Welles, and MT. George Jarvin remem- bered in after days young Foote's amia- bility and tact in extracting himself from difficulties. The old academy building still stands in which young Foote, young Welles and the other boys of seventy-five years ago studied and dreamed and played their tricks as boys have done ever since and are doing to-day.
 "A passion for the sea was in the boy, as in so many boys, and his father was interested in the West Indies trade; so the boy heard much of ships and the sea in his home life.
 ''The boy wanted to be a sailor, but his mother objected, and so finally something like a compromise was made and at the age of sixteen in 1892 he went to West Point
 He remained there but few months and in December of that year he was appointed midshipman on the Grampus, under Commander Gregory.
 His first cruise was one for the sup pression of the pirates. who infested the islands between North and South America.
 Commander Gregory sald that at whatever hour of the night or day he