The Penn's Grove record., 1899-10-06
tCopyright, Louis Klopsch, 1891

Their Bravery and DEVOTION.
copyright, Louis Klopsch, 1891
WASHINGTON, d. Cat a time when the
whole nation Is stirred with patriotic emo
ton at the return of Admiral George
Dewey and his gallant men on the cruiser
Olympia and the magnificent reception ac-
corded to them, the Rev. DR.. 7. De Witt
Talmage, in his sermon, preaching to n
vast audience, appropriately recalls for
devout and patriotic purposes some Of the
great naval deeds of olden and more recent
times. Text, James ILL.,, A, "Behold also
the ships.'
Ifthis exclamation was appropriate about
1872 years ago, when 1t was written con-
corning the crude fishing smncksthat sailed
Lake Galilee, how much more appropriate
In an age which has launched from the dry
docks for purposes of peace the Oceanic OF
the White Star line, the Lucapia of the
Cunard line, the st. Louis Of the American
line, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse of the
North German Lloyd line, the Augusta Vic
toria of the Hamburg-American 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 Roanoke and
the Dunderberg, and those which have al
ready been buried In the deer, like the
Monitor, the Housatonic and the Wee
hawken, the tempests ever since sounding
q volley over their watery sepulchers, and
the Oregon, and the Brooklyn, and the
Texas, and the Olympia, the Iowa, the Mas
snchusetts, the Indiana, the New York, the
MARIETTA of the last war, and the scarred
veterans OF war shipping, like the Consti-
tuition 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 rig
cling all silent of the hands hat chung to
them. their portfolios silent of the brazen
Threats that once Numbered out OF them.
Full justice has been lone to the men
who at different times fought on the land,
but not enough hns been said of those who
on ships deck dared and suffered all things.
Lord God Of the rivers n the sea, help
me IN this sermonl So, ye admirals, COM
manders, captains, pilots, gunners, boat
swains, sailmakers, surgeons, stokers, mess
mates and seamen Of all names, to use your
W parlunce, we might as well get under
way and stand out to sea. Let all land
lubbers go ashore. Full speed nowl -Four
bellsl
Never since the sea fight OF Lepanto,
where 800 royal gallevs, manned by 80, 900
warriors, at sunrise, September 6, 1871,
met $50 royal galleys, manned by 100, goo
men, and In the four hours of battle 5000
fell on one side and %, 600 on the other;
yea, never since the day when at Actium,
81 years before Christ, Augustus with $50
ships scattered the 220 ships of Mark An
tony and gained universal dominion as
the prize; yea, since the day when at Sala-
mis- the 1900 galleys OF the Persians,
manned by 500, 900 men, were crushed by
Greeks with less than a third of that force;
yea, never since the time OF Noah, the first
ship captain, mas the world seen sIch II
miraculous creation as that OF the Ameri-
can navy In 1861.
There were bout 200 available seamen
In all the naval stations and receiving
ships and here and there al old vessel.
Yet orders were given to blockade $500
miles OF seacoast, greater than the whole
coast OF Europe, and, besides that, the
Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland, Miasis-
sippi and other great rivers, corerlng.an ex-
tent OF 1000 more miles, were to be pa
tr0lied. No 4onder the whole civilized
world burst put into outlaws OF laughter at
the seeming inlpossibility. But the work
was done, done almost Immediately, done
thoroughly and done with a speed and
consummate skill that eclipsed ali the his
tory of naval architecture.
1t looks picturesque and beautiful to SEQ
a war vessel going out through tile Mar
rows, sailors in new rig singing,