The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-02
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
GIANTS OF MODERN TIMES An IN
DEPENDENCE DAY DISCOURSE.
By the Rev. Louis Albert Banks, ID. D..
Pastor Of the First Methodist
Church, Cleveland, o.

There were giants in the earth In those
| days."-Gen. vi, L.
There are giants on the earth yet; but
they change their type with every succeed
| ing age. The giants of the Book Of Genesis.
| and those later giants that scared the spies
| In the promised land into feeling like grass
hoppers. would be only freaks in a dime
museum In our day. 1t has been well said
| that ansage may be judged by its heroes.
| The idols of popular enthusiasm OF any
| time are Thermometers Of the civilization
| and of the character of the people Of that
! day. With that thought In view / am sure
/ it will be interesting to note the peculiar
/ types OF heroism that have attracted the
| special attention of this country. and. In
| deed, the whole world, during the recent
| Spansh-American war.
| First among them all is Dewey. the naval
| hero. But how different the type from the
| old ideal, The drunken, swearing bully OF
1 ancient naval history and fiction has no
| chance for a footing in the picture of this
modern hero of the seas. Instead, you have
| an unassuming, straightforward gentleman;
| no buster. no bravado, no self-assertion.
| Everything that has been told us about the
battle itself has portrayed to the gaze OF
the world quiet man. who thought out
| his plan, and followed 1t steadfastly to
the end, until every ship of the enemy was
sunk destroyed. in calm and gentle
manly a way as a college professor would
conduct his classes, or a bank president
| preside at an annual meeting.
And the year that has passed since has
not robbed Dewey of one laurel, but has
added them month by month. Fame and
adulation have not turned his head. They
have not changed his estimate of his own
ability or character. He has had the good
sense to know that George Dewey, the naval
hero, has not through sinking a Spanish
| fleet suddenly gained any proper equip
ment to write history or. be President
| stands-the methodical, gentlemanly, cool.
brave man: ready for all emergencies. and
and Teo e s sfae of
Nelson and Perry, and Farragut-all glor-
In 5he y1e T Sdt bis
wreath does not fade In their presence.
EFFECT OF EXAMPLE.
| Again, Hobson's heroism will stand out
clear and bright as long as men love heroic
| acts. Here you have youth of intelligence
and character deliberately setting out TO
do a brave deed for the sake of his coun-
| try, under very unique and peculiar circum-
stances. 1t Is one thing to face hostile guns
when your own hurting thunderboits in
return. 1t Is quite another to deliberately
steam your ship into the mouth of the
enemy's harbor, knowing that you will be
the center OF the fire Of her fleet and forts,
with no power to return the fire; know
ing that, with all this hail about you, you
are TO sink your own ship under your feet,
to take the chances not only of being shot,
but escaping that and the explosion of your
own torpedoes. 70 face the almost certainty
Of drowning afterwards And all this that
the enemy's ships may be shut in and your
country's flag may go on TO victory. His
tory has not recorded many more splendid
dc0A Of hAr +t,n%f
1t is worth while to notice that this was
not piece of reckessness, but a delber-
rash enthusiast but by a keen-brained ed
ucated. big-hearted Christian man. who
was young and full of life and who had
that feels that life in its blossom. and at its
best, is not worth the having unless accom-
every opportunity up to the fullest meas
ure.
But we shall not lack for heroes if we
turn to the land. Where in all history has
there been more picturesque career than
Roosevelt's? Take him from the time he
graduated from Harvard College, the pride
of an old, aristocratic and wealthy family.
Follow his story as a rancher on the great
ontsn PraTes go With him into tb the
In his fight for civil service reform against
politicians more fierce and vindictive than
the grizzlies of the Rockies: see him taking
his days Of recreation in writing books of
travel and adventure. as we'll as strong vol
at the Cali Of duty to nim orsaRe ad
venture. or the ease of his library. or the
delightful associations of the man of wealth
and culture, to take the head of the police
department OF the great metropolis of his
native land: watch him as with steady grip
saloon keepers and gamblers.
Then his keen intuition scents from afar
the rumbling the war that is to come.
He sees the need of better equipped navy,
navy whose personnel is awake and alert
and practiced; and he thrusts everything
aside to become assistant secretary of the
navy, where he may have the opportunity
OF getting the country ready for the great
struggle that is before it. His keen appre-
citation suggests that George Dewey be sent
to take charge of our fleet in the East He
asks for 81. 100000 worth of ammunition. and
when it was all fired away he asks for
half million more. Asked what he had done
with the other be said. We have shot It
to do with this?' Explode it in the same
way" he answered. with smile. 1t looked
ish fleet at Manila, and Sampson and Schley
sent Cervera's fleet TO the bottom at San
tiago, without the loss Of ship and scarce
~ the loss of man, the wisdom OF RooSe-
welt had its vindication.
THE ROUGH RIDERS.
When all had been done that could be
done by way Of preparation. Roosevelt re-
signed, against the advice of the President
and secretary of the navy and all the wise
newspaper editors Then he began to gath
er together regiment of spirits like his
own. Indian fighters and hardy. daring
riders from the far West, the heroes of foot
ball teams and college rowing matches, and
athletes from the homes of culture and re-
finement in the East. Offered the colonelcy
he declined il, that his friend, DR.. Wood. a
| man he knew could lead and master the
| regiment he had gathered, might be put at
the head while he went TO assist and learn
as lieutenant colonel cannot follow the
knows IL, how he slept in the open with his
| troopers, ate their hard tack and spoiled
meat with them, bought food for them with
his own money when they were hungry, led
them ever in the van of the army, gaining
| deathless glory on the battlefield, until the
| war was done.
Then when hundreds of soldiers all about
were dying of disease. and the new neces-
sity was to get the troops away to the
| north, where they might regain their health
1t was Roosevelt who dared to break
| through all the red tape and write the letter
which aroused the country, and which,
| though ii brought on him for the moment
| harshest criticisms. induced action and
| saved the lives of hundreds and possibly
! thousands of men. At home again, new
| duties arise, and to-day the cry goes out
| over the land that he, and not the political
| bosses, Is Governor of the great Empire
| State.
| There Is another type of heroism which
| this war has Illustrated in peculiar way
| "a type OF the hero outside of the army and
| yet related TO 1t. Such men as the news