Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-10-06

boy OF your habits will never command
nnything" And his father burst into
tears and left the cabin. From that
day David Farragut started on new
life.
| Christian Sailors.
Captain Pennington. an honored eld-
er 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 ey-
cry great crisis Of life he asked and
obtained the Divine direction. When
IN Mobile bay the monitor Tecumseh
sank from torpedo and the great war
ship Brooklyn, that was to lead the
squadron, turned back, he said he was
at a loss to know whether to advance
Or retreat, and lie says: Il prayed, %
| God. who created man and gave him
reason, direct me what to do. Shall
! 90 on? And voice commanded me,
/ Go on And | went on" Was there
ever a more touching Christian letter
| than that which he wrote to his wife
from his flagship Hartford? "My dear
est wifcs write and leave this letter
for you. am going into Mobile bay
In the morning il God is my leader,
md l hope he is. and in him | place
my trust. II he thinks it Is the proper
place for me to die, am ready to sub
nit 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 Tallapoosa In the last voyage he
ever took. ut would be well If l died
now in harness" The sublime Episco-
pal service for the dead was never
more appropriately rendered than over
his casket. and well did all the forts Of
New York harbor thunder as his body
was brought 10 the wharf. and well did
the minute guns sound and the bells
toll rs I'm n procession having In It's
ranks the president of the United
States and his cabinet and the mighty
men Of land and sea the old admira.
was carried amid hundreds Of thou
sands Of uncovered heads on Broad
way and laid on his pillow Of dust In
beautiful WoodlaWn Sept 30 amid the
Domp Of our autumnal forests.
But lust rs much am | stirred nj the
scene on warshlp's deck before San
tiago last summer. when the victory
gained for our American flag over
Spanish oppression the captain took
off his hat and MI the sailors and sol
diors did the same. and silently they
offered thanks to Almighty God for
what had been accomplished. and
when on another ship the soldiers and
sailors were cheering as Spanish
vessel sank and its officers and crew
were struggling IN the waters and the
captain Of our warShip cried out:
Don't cheer: the poor fellows are
drowning" Prayers on deck. Prayers
In the forccaStlc, Prayers in the cabin!
Prayers in the hammocks. Prayers on
the lookout at midnight! The battles
of that war opened with prayer, were
pushed on with prayer and closed with
prayer, and today the American nation
recalls them with prayer.
\ Nations Greeting.
We hail with thanks the new genera
ton Of naval heroes. those Of the year
1S9S We are too near their marvellous
deeds 10 fully appreciate them. A cen
fury from now poetry and sculpture
and painting and history win do them
better justice than we can do them
now. 4 defeat at Manila would have
been an infinite disaster. Foreign na-
tions not oycrfond Of our American
er side. and the war 50 many months
past would have been raging still. and
perhaps n hundred thousand graves
would have opened to take down our
slain soldiers and sailors. II took this
country three years to get over the
disaster at Bull Run ut the opening OF
the civil war. How many years It
would have required TO recover from
defeat at Manila in the opening Of the
Spanish war cannot say. God avert
ed the calamity by giving triumph to
our navy under Admiral Dewey, whose
coming up through the Narrows OF
New York harbor day before yesterday
was greeted by the nation whose wei
coming cheers will not cease TO re-
sound until tomorrow. and next day
In the capital OF the nation the jewel
I'd sword voted 10y congress shall be
presented amid booming cannonade
and embannercd hosts, and our au-
tumual nights shall become a conia
grafton Of splendor, but the tramp Of
these professions and the flash Of that
sword and the huZza OF that greeting
and the roar Of those guns and the IL
Elimination Of those nights will be seen
and heard as long as page Of Ameri-
can history remains inyiolate.
Especially let the country boys Of
America join in these greetings to the
returned heroes of Manila. 1t Is their
work. The chief character in all the
scene Is the once country lad. George
Dewey. Let the Vermonters come
down and find him older. but the same
modest, unassuming, almost bashful
person that they went TO school with
and with whom they sported on the
playground. The honors of all the
world cannot spoil him. A few weeks
AGO ut n banquet in England some OF
the titled noblemen were affronted be-
cause our American minister plenipo-
tentlary associated the name of Dewey
with that Of Lord Nelson. As well
might we be affrOnted because the
name Of Nelson Is associated with that
Of our most renowned admiral. The
one name In all the coming ages will
stand as high as the other. SO this
day, sympathizlng with all the fes-
tlvltles and celebrations OF the past
week and with all the festivities and
celebrations to come this week, let us
anew thank God and those heroes Of
the American navy who have done
such great things for our beloved land.
Come aboard the old ship Zion. ye sail
ors and soldiers. whether still In the
active service or hOnOrably discharged
A. x.se