The Advocate and news., 1898-04-06
How Differently rIen Act in Emer-
gencieS.

Unless something unusual comes along
some occurrence that jerks people out
of the common humdrum of everyday
life, we never know just who and what
our neighbors are. Nothing brings the
man out Of men like emergencies. A fire
in a country stack yard, or village
warehouse, will sometimes discover un-
suspected traits in people that we
thought we knew all about.
Army life develops an endless variety
of phases of human character. The
quiet, apparently listless, indolent man
in camp, who sees little to move him or
anybody else, when drawn up with his
comrades in battle line awaiting the
enemy's advance, is usually the coolest
and safest man in the company. He says
nothing, neither about his courage nor
his dinner, but he waits and faints not.
The Quarrelsome man in camp Is hardly
ever good fighter in the field, and
almost invariably the braggadoclo is
coward when the emergency that tries
him is present.
It is the same everywhere and all the
time. The safest men in times Of trouble
lose sight Of petty irritations and face
the situation as 1t is or may be- There
are some men that cannot fight without
first making a speech. They must tell
a story before running foOt-race. These
men usually talk more about themselves
and their work than is absolutely essen
tial in the solution of a present and
pressing problem. They are not to be
measured, however, by the standard
which gauges the capacity of bully.
Their talk is merely so much escaping
steam from high pressure boiler, and
the color of their profanity indicates only
the intensity of their zeal in the conflict.
If they were not allowed to speak they
would have to dance or run. They must
be doing something. Patience Is not
among their virtues.
Grant-patlent, quiet, modest, brave.
neutrality-suspicious. iTascible, dar-
ing, reckless.
What a field for study is our national
Congress now.
Some members of that great body
and it is a great body--cannOt speak of
the Cuban-Spanish situation without
boiling over and seemingly, without suf-
ficient justification, exposing unsOldierly
qualities. There are strong men there
who are moved not by the fiery OratiOns
of their colleagues. They sit and listen
with sort Of stoical reserve. There are
Others that cannot rise to the height Of
the occasion. Eyes have they, yet they
see not. Their wisdom is seen In the
knowing look, 1t Oozes out in mental per-
spiration and wastes itself in the war
like atmosphere.
Two wholly unlike characters were
mirrOred in the Senate chamber few
days ago. Mr.. ThurstOn, Of Nebraska,
in his speech spoken "by command Of
silent lips" alluded to published In
terview, in which Senator Hale, Of
Maine, was reported as saying that the
President had been swept off his feet
When Mr.. Hale later entered the cham
Der and had his attention called to the
statement, he interrupted Mr.. Thurston
to say:
1.-THE Senator has referred to an al
legged interview quoting me as saying
that in the present emergency the Pres
ident has been carried off his feet. not
only did not say anything of the kind,
but the statement quoted does not cor
rectly represent my views. believe the
President has been eminently wise and
calm in this whole Cuban matter"
Mr.. Thurston was delivering an Inn
passioned and powerful speech-Demos-
thenic in it's zeal against the enemy, and
in the midst Of his pathetic elOquence,
before crowded hall and galleries, Hale
coolly interposed his brief reputation of
the alleged interview.
And this incident recalls others Of two
years ago, in which these two Senators
appeared in their peculiarly distinctive
roles. January %, 1896, Mr.. Thurston
spoke on resolution reaffirming the
Monroe doctrine in it's application to
the Venezuelan boundary dispute. He
concluded his speech in the following