The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-10-11

u -1ituES, S.-Si liz i" tASSS ~ N"'~ =
stack crushed, hundred pound Whit
worth rife 8bot having left its mark
from port to starboard, the shrcuds rent
away. ladders splinte-ed and decks
plowed up and smoke b!ackenec and
scalded corpses lying among those who
are gasping their last gasp far away
from home aud kindred, whom they love
as much as We love wife and parents
and children.
Oh. men Of the American navy re-
turned from Manila and Santiago and
Havana, as well as those who are sur,
vivors Of the naval conflicts oflS63 and
1864, men Of the western gulf squadron,
Of the eastern gulf squadron, OF the
south Atlantic squadron, Of the north
Atlantic squadron. Of the Mississippi
SQUADRON. of the Pacific squadron, OF
the West India squadron and OF the
Potomac fiotilla, hear our thanks. Take
the benediction of our churches. Ac-
cent the hospitalitifs of the nation.
five had our way, we would get you
not only a pension. but home and a
pripcely wardrobe and an eQuipage and
a banquet while you live and after your
departure a catafalque and mausolum
Of sculptured marble, with a model Of
the shi in which you won the day. It
is considered gallant thing when in a
naval fight the flagship with its blue
ensign goes ahead up a river or into a
bay, It's admiral standing in the shrouds
watching ami giving orders. But l
have to tell you, . veterans Of the Am
crican navy, if you are as loyal to
Christ as you we're to the government
there is flagship sailing ahead of you
of which Christ is the admiral, and ne
watches from the shrouds, and the hes-
vens arc the blue ensign, and he leads
you toward the harbor, and all the
broadsides of earth ard hell cannot
damage you, and ye whose garments
were once red with your own blood
shall have robe washed and made
white in the blood of the Lamb. Then
strike eight bells. High noon in hea-
ven
Sometimes off the coast of England
the royal family have inspected the
British navy, mancuvered before them
for that purpose. In the Baltic sea the
czar and czarina have reviewed the
Russian navy To bring before the
American people the debt they owe to
navy l go out with you on the Allan
tic ocean, where there is plenty Ct
room, and in Imagination review the
war shipping Of our four great conflicts
-l776, 1912, 1865 and 1898. Swing
into line all ye frigates, irouclads, ire
RATS, gunboats and men-of-war! There
they come, all sail set and furnaces IN
full blast, sheaves of crystal tossing
from their cutting prows. That is the
Delaware, an old Revolutionary craft,
commanded by Coz modore Decatur.
Yonder goes the Constitution, Com
modore Hull commanding, There is
the Chesapeake, commanded by Cap
tain Lawrence, whose dying words
were, Don't give up the ship, and the
Niagara of 1872, commanded by Com
modo-e Perry, who wrote on the back
of au old letter, resting on his navy
cap, I'VE have met the enemy, and
they are ours" Yonder is the flagship
Wabash, Admiral Dupont commanding;
youder, the flagship Minnesota, Admir-
al G Goldsborough commanding; yonder,
the flagship Philadelphia, Admiral
Dahlgren commanding; yonder. the
flagship San Jacinto, Admiral Bailey
commanding; yonder, the flagship
Black Hawk, Admiral Porter command
ing; yonder, the flag steamer Benton,
Admiral Foote commanding; yonder,
the flagship Hartford, David G. Farra-
gut commanding; yonder, the Brooklyn,
Rear Admiral Schley commanding;
yonder, the Olympia, Admiral Dewey
commanding; yonder, the Oregon, Cap
tain Clark commanding; yonder, the
Texas, Captain Philip commanding;
yonGer, the New York, Rear Admiral
Sampson commanding; yonder the Iowa,
Captain Robley D. Evans commanding.
According to his own statement, Far
ragut was very loose in his morals in
early manhood and practiced all kinds
of sin. One day he was called into the
cabin of his father, who was a shipmas.
ter. His father said, David, what are
you going to be anyhow He answer
ed, II am going 10 follow the sea.
"Follow the sea, said the father, and
be kicked about the world and die in
foreign hospital?' No. said David;
Il am going to command like you"
NO" said the father; "a boy Of your
habits will never command anything.
And his father burst into tears and left
the cabin. From that day David Far
ragut started on 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 he confirmed,
what had heard elsewhere, that Far
ragut was good and Christian. In every
great crisis Of life ne asked and obtained
the Divine direction. When in Noble
bay the monitor 1ecumseh sank from a
torpedo and the great warship Brook
lyn, that was to lead the squadron,
turned back, he said he was at a loss to
know whether to advance or retreat,
and he says: Il prayed: o God,
who created man and gave him reason,
direct me what to do. Shall | 60 on"
And voice commanded me, Go on,
and l went on" Was there ever a
lore touching Christian letter than
that which he wrote to his wife from
his flagship Hartford? My dearest
wife, i write and leave this letter for
you. l am going into Mobile bay in
the morning if God is my leader. and |
hope he is, and ia him l place my trust.
If he thinks it is the proper place for
NE to die, l am ready to submit to his
will in that as all other things. God
bless and preserve you, my darling, and
my dear boy, # anything should hap
pen to me. May his blessings rest upor,