Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-10-05

command anything" And his father
burst into tears and left the cabin. From
that day David Farragut started on a
new life.
Captain Pennington, an honored elder
of my Brooklyn church, was with him in
most Of his battles and had his intimate
friendship, and ne confirmed, what had
heard elsewhere, that Farragut was good
and Christian. In every great crisis of
life he asked and obtained the Divine di-
rcction When in Mobile bay the monitor
Tecumseh sank from torpedo and the
great warship Brooklyn, that was to lead
the squadron, turned back, he said he
was at loss to know whether to adj
vance or retreat, and he says: 81 prayed.
% God, who created man and gave him
reason, direct me what to do. Shall ! go
onY And a voice commanded me, 60
on, and | went on" Was there ever q
more touching Christian letter than that
which he wrote to his wife from his flag
ship Hartford? "My dearest wife. |
write and leave this letter for you. | atm
going into Mobile bay in the morning if
God is my leader, and hope he is, and
in him | place my trust. If he thinks it
is the proper place for me to die, | am
ready to submit to his will in that as all
other things. God bless and preserve
you. my darling, and my dear boy, if any
thing should happen to me. May his
blessings rest upon you and your dear
mother"
Cheerful to the end, he said on board
the Iallapoosa III the last voyage ne ever
took, 1t would be well If | died now IN
harness, The sublime Episcopal service
Tor the dead was never more appropriate
~ rendered than over MS casket, ana Wen
did all the forts OF New YORK harbor
thunder as his body was brought to the
wharf, ana wen uid the minute guns
sound and the bells toll as in procession
having in Its ranks the president OF the
United States and his cabinet ana the
mighty men OIL land ana sea the oid adhi-
raj was carried anna hundreds OF thou-
SANDS OF uncovered heauS on broau"h!'
and laid on his pillow OF dust In beauti-
ful NoodlaWn, sept 81, amid the porhp
OF our ahtumnal forests
But just as much am stirred nj the
scene on warships deck before santiago
last summer, when the victory gained Tor
our American nag over spanish oppres-
sion the captain took oil MS nat ana all
the sailors ana soldiers ana the same ana
silently they offered thanks TO Almighty
God for what had pecn accompllshed' ana
when on another snip the solulcrS ana
sailors were cheering rs spanish Nessei
sank ana It's olhcers ana crews were
struggling III the waters ana the captain
OF our WarSnlp crled out Ion cheer'
the poor felloWs are browning irayers
on deck! Prayers III the forecastie! fray
ers in the cabin! Prayers IN the nam
mocks! irayers on the LOOKOUT at mo,
night! Inc battles OF that war opened
! with prayer, were pusned on with prayer
ana CLOSED with prayer, ana To-Day the
American nation recalls them with
. prayer.
, Reception TO Dewey.
We hail with thanks the new genera
ton OF naval heroes, those OF the year
lS3S. we are too near thelr marvellous
deeds to fully appreciate them. y cen.
: tury from now poetry ana sculpture ana
painting and history Will do them better
justice than we can 90 them now A De
. feat at Manila would have been an mn
! mite disaster. Foreign nations not over
fond of our American institutions would
have joined the other side, ana the wal
e so many months past would nave been
! raging sui, ana perhaps huhured thou
e sand graves would have opened to take
: down our slain soldiers and sailors. II
= took this country three years to get ovel
+ of the civil war. How many years Il
J. would have required to recover from
:; defeat at Manila IN the opening or th'
i Spanish war cannot say. God avertet
p the calamity by giving triumph TO ou
J. navy under Admiral dewey, whose com
J. ing up through the Narrows or New
G York harbor day before yesterday was
t greeted by the nation whose WELCOMING
r cheers Will not cease TO rcsound until to
e morrow, and next day in the capital o
:; the nation the JeWeled sword voted by
J. congress shall be presented amid boom
n ing cannonade and embannered hosts
Y and our autumnal nights shall become
J. contiagration OF splendor, but the tram
}. of these professions and the Hash OF tina
sword and the huzza of that greeting anC
= the roar of those guns and the il!unna
o ton OF those nights Will be seen anC
|, heard as long as page OF American ms
II tory remains inviolate.
e Especially let the country boys o
e America join in these greetings to tn
:, returned heroes of Manila. 1t is thei
). work. The chief character in all tn
II scene is the once country lad, Georg
It Dewey. Let the Nermonters come dow
$ and find him older, but the same modest
q unassuming, almost bashful person tia
!, they went to school with and with whom
Il they sported on the playground. The hon
II ors of all the world cannot spoil him.
C few weeks ago at q banquet in Englan