The times., 1899-11-24
A Tribute Of Lore 80 AIeclion-

To the Editor Of The Times:
Are We Americans degenerating into the
French habit of judgment, shifting with
every fckle circumstance. today ecstatic in
aduIaJion. tomorrow frantic in condemna-
ton. It would seem that having found a
hero in Dewey, we ran to such excess in
hero worship that We now from sheer ex-
haustion must find rest in the revulsiou
OF feeling. and thereby. OF necessity.
seize upon the first slip he makes as the
safety valve The fact is. thaJ this slip,
this deciding OF his house 10 his wife. does
honor to the man, the grand man Of great
deeds and big heart. though offensive 90
good taste when considered BY itself and
unrelated to the man and the motive
What we're the steps Of DeWey's coming
to this? Rising slowly out Of the glory
OF the past, yet Cbscured in the multi
tude. he fought and won one Of the de-
cisive battles OF history; then with the
mastery hand of a statesman directed the
foreign relations threatening us az Manila
through many months OF trying times,
then coming home the Presidency was laid
al his feet and the people went wild In
their effort 10 bestow honor and praise
upon him. but he did not lose his head,
the peoples greatest gift was declined,
and he wore his manifold hOuOrs with the
modesJy and simple dignity of true great
ness; overwhelmed on all sides and at al
times with praise. living in the white,
searching glare OF the exalted estimates Of
himself by his fellOw-ciuzens, the beloved
OF women and men alike; yet in all his
relations his unfailtug gentleGess. gOOd
nature and good sense always guided him
to do and say the right thing at the right
time.
But now comes an affair OF the heart"
When Dewey sailed into Manila Harb0r
he syaksd his all on the issue; when Dewey
entered into the tender relations OF q lover
that same surrender, gallautry, no
bility Of manhood. and bigness OF heart
gave him wholly away to his wife. His
was the grand passion Think OF its set
ting He was the idol of his countrymen;
he had achieved poetic glory; all the lines
of mis- life had come together 10 render him
only happiness, and now, as the elder
years were coming on, he found himself
al ardent lover. enhaIoed in the splendid
atmosphere OF the love and admiration OF
his countrymen. To him she was the
type OF everything good, and in turn be
came the whole World-that other and in
ner world of loves exchange. which dwarfs
all else.
As d lover Dewey lost his head a lit
tie as a lover he lost the sense Of proper
ton. and this is the sum total OF his Of
LSAutAS- A4S save Hitisr4t anu MS al to
her who had become more than himself 10
him Aud in that complete surrender, the
act for which he is now censured. he
thought TO be the most gracious and grace
ful, and would be most approved by his
COuntrymen for was she not his bride,
and II mis- bride was she not also the bride
OF the nation. whose delight it would be
to do her homage; and the nations gift
to him became its wedding present But,
alas, il was Dewey IN love. not the nation.
and il could not enter into the fine spirit
that made poetry and paradise OF MS
welded life. It was calculating cOidly
upon the light value he seemed 20 have
set upon its gift while he was resting in
the supreme confidence that he had shown
the highest appreciation of it in affordiug
the nation the opportunity, in the gift
of the house TO share with him in homage
TO his wife. EDWIN BALTZLEY.