The Yale expositor., 1899-10-13
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
DEWEY THE SUBJECT FOR LAST
SUNDAY.
From Text, James, Chapter 3, Verse 4, as
Follows; "Behold Also the Ships"-A
Review OF Our Naval Heroes and
Those OF Other Nations.

TWO years ago, when IT was written
concerning the crude fishing smacks
that sailed Lake Galilee, how much
more appropriate in an age which has
launched from the dry docks for pur-
poses of peace the Oceanic of the
White Star line, the Lucania OF the
Cunard line, the Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse of the North German Lloyd
line the Augusta Victoria of the Ham
burgAmerican line: and in an age
which for purposes of war has launched
the screw-sloops like the Idaho, the
Shenandoah, the Ossipee, and our iron
clads like the Kalamazoo, the Roam
oke and the Dunderberg, and those
which have already been buried in the
deep, like the Monitor, the Housatonic
and the Weehawken, the tempests ever
since sounding n volley over their
watery sepulchres; and the Oregon,
and the Brooklyn, and the Texas, and
the Olympia, the Iowa, the Massachu-
sets, the Indiana, the New York, the
Marietta of the last war, and the
SCARED veterans of war shipping, like
the Constitution, or the Alliance, or
the Constellation that have swung into
the naval yards to spend their last
days, their decks now all silent Of the
feet that trod them. their rigging all
silent of the hands that chung to them,
their portfolios silent of the brazen
threats that once Numbered out OF
them. If in the first century, when
war vessels were dependent on the
oars that padded at the side of them
for propulsion, my text was sugges-
tive, with how much more emphasis
and meaning and overwhelming remi-
niscence we can cry out, as We see the
Kearsarge lay across the bows Of the
Alabama and sink it, teaching foreign
nations they had better keep their
hands off our American fight or as
we sec the ram Albemarle of the Con-
federates running out and in the
Roanoke, and up and down the coast
throwing everything into confusion as
no other craft ever did, pursued by the
Miami, the Ceres, the Southfeld. the
| Sassacus. the Mattabesett, the White
/ head, the Commodore Hull, the Louisl-
| ana. the Minnesota ana other armed
vessels. all trying in vain TO catch her,
until Capt. Cushing, q years OF age
and his men blew her up, himself and
only one other escaping; and as see
the flagship Hartford, and the Rich
mond. and the Monongahela, with
other gunboats, sweep past the batter
les of Port Hudson, and the Missis-
sippi flows forever free to all northern
and southern craft, and under the fire
of Dewey and his men the Spanish
ships at Manila burn or sink, and the
feet rushing out of Santiago haTbor
are demolished by our guns, and the
brave Cervera surrenders, l cry out
with a patriotic emotion that | cannot
suppress if | would. and would not II
I could. behold also the ships"
Full Justice has been done to the
men who at different times fought on
the land. but not enough has been said
of those who on ships deck dared and
suffered all things. Lord God OF the
rivers and the sea, help me in this
sermon. So, we admirals, command
ers. captains, pilots, gunners. boats
vains. sailmakers, surgeons, stokers
messmates and seamen OF all names
to use your own parlance, We might
as well get under way and stand out
to sea. Let all land lubbers go ashore
Full speed now! Four bells!
Never since the sea fight of Lepanto
where 300 royal galleys, manned by
10000 warriors, at sunrise, Sept. 8
1871. met $50 royal galleys, manned by
100 900 men, and in the four hours o.
battle 5000 fell on one side, and 25,OOC
on the other; yea, never since the day
when at Actium, thirty-one years be
fore Christ, Augustus with $50 snip!
scattered the 900 ships of Marc An
tony. and gained universal dominion
as the prize; yea, since the day wheI
at salamis the 1900 galleys of the Per
CLANS manned by 100000 men, wer'
crushed by Greeks with less than
third of that force; yea, never sine
the time of Noah, the first ship cap
tain, has the world seen such a mirac
! ulOuS creation as IlldL Vi INC AlhSi va
navy in 1861.
There were about 200 available sea
men in all the naval stations and re
: ceiving ships. and here and there al
old vessel. Yet orders were given t
, blockade $500 miles OF seacoast-
} greater than the whole coast of Eu
, rope-and besides that the Ohio, Ten
, nessee, Cumberland, Mississippi, an
) other great rivers. covering an exten
) of 1000 miles, we're 10 be patrollet
No wonder the whole civilized worl
) burst into outlaws of laughter at tn
r seeming impossibility. But the wor
was done, done almost Immediately
1 done thoroughly, and done with
speed and consummate skill tina
D ecl;ksed all the history of naval archi
lecture. What brilliant achievement
are suggested by the mere mention c
the names of the rear-admirals!
all they did should be written, ever
: one suppose that even the worl