El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-04-02
A Sailors Request.

Carlton Jencks was an ordinary sea
man on board the battleshlp Mdlne
when she went down in the waters OF
Havana harbor. His body was recover
ed and was buried with those OF his
shipmates who persisted with him.
OF the hapless 250 men whose lives
were ended so tragicAliy on tnat fatal
night we know very little. Naturally,
what little we do know rebounds to
the honor of the dead. But, accordiog
to the testimony OF the chaplain OF
the ship, Carlton Jencks has unWit-
tingly left brquest to his fellows
which should not be overlooked. The
CHI aplain, who is a Roman Catholic
prie-t, says that Carlton Jeucks was
member of the association known as
the society of Christian Fad eavor. That
organic atom, We understand, Is made
up of members of c1urcheS and Goa
pregations w1r h ping and believing
in the msnner popul arly known "a
Calvan stlc. Perhaps, so far as crteds
represent men, two Christians could not
be further apart than Carlton Jencks.
the sailor man, and MIR. Chadwick, the
R1man Catholic chaplain of his ship.
Yet the Bottom organization OF which
Jeucks was a member has received
from the chaplain tender ana loving
letter concerning the sailor, and In
this epistle Mr.. Caa d wick takes coca
sion to say of Jeocks: He was one OF
our best men, and, although not OF my
belief, was one of my greatest com
forts.'' IL appears that the sailor was
a Jealous ana active Christian, and
that he manfully seconded the chap
lain's efforts to promote the rel g Gus
welfare of the crew. He was "a Jealous
promoter of the evening services on
the ship, and it was not long alter
one OF these vespers that the hour OF
death struck for the doomed crew,
among whome the sailor Christian En-
deavorer was numbered.
And in the wreck of noble lives
Something immortal still survives.
Saws Lonefellow, and the part OF
Jencks' life that survives him wou q
never have been widely known If its
thread had not been cut short as II
was by the tragedy of the Maine. 1t is
the duty OF every Christian man to
live as faithful exponent OF the re-
ligiou which he processes. Preache
and laymap, believer and unbeliever,
alike recognize this simple truth.
This was apparently all that Sailor
Jencks did and doubtless he would
have been very much asIOnished 1t he
could have been told this was in him
su n q virtue thas after hls death the
chaplain should cite his example as
one worthy of all imitation. A Protest
duG INV ouO SONiSoS "
rough men whose general bearing and
c)nversatiou wera not spec ally Goa
ducive to the growth of the Christian
g'ac S, might have let the Roman
Catholic chaplain go his ways with
out having his own conscience pricked
for Sinking duty. Sailor Jencks does
not appear to ave been that kind of a
Christian. He pitched in," and
helped get his messmates together
when the chaplain was on hand to
give them religious instruction. And
the men-they might have chsffed and
jeered him, but the chaplain says:
'.Our men admired him for his atten-
tion to religious duties" The power
of a consistent Christian example does
count for something after all. The tes-
timony of the good chaplain, alien
though he's to the faith of the
Christian Endeavor, is eloquent with
this truth.
The lesson of this sailors humble
aui obscure carer, SO suddenly illu-
minated by the flames of a tragedy
Is sufficiently obvious. wv bat oever
thy hand fiudeth to do, do it with thy
might" AS this was the harmony of
Jencks' life, it is fortunate that there
has survived one who k, ew him and
who testifi7s of hi~o for the benefit of
to erably well assured of their duty,
but are not exactly ready to do it. To
wavering humanity everywhere the
lesson of such II life is besquet of i'm
measurable value.-N Y. Times.