News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1899-10-18

OF tne people anu the dinDlIlOnS OF
the student will see other careers
than the congested avenues of trade
or the perils of speculation.
The life of Admiral Dewey is a
manual for the young American. 1t
demonstrates that work and thor
oughness are the essentials of success.
Opportunity-or accident, if you
please-happens to everyone. If
ready, he seizes upon it and his career
is made. If unprepared, it passes by
and rarely returns. The lawyer may
labor for years before the case comes
which tests his equipment. The
doctor may practice half a lifetime
with limited results and then his
chance arrives. The clergyman is
called from a poor parish to fill a
temporary vacancyin metropolitan
church. The cultured congregation,
the press of the city, the strongest
positions in his sect are waiting
eager and ready. If he has the
talent and has improved the waiting
years with conscientious and tircless
work he stays and grows, if not, he
drops back to become in time one of
the army of the unemployed. Cen
eral Grant was an excellent cadet,
and in the Mexican campaign he
mastered the art of war. His talent
was for the tented field and not for
the pursuits of peace. He was a poor
farmer and a worse tanner. At
forty the opportunity came and
found him ready. Faithful prepara-
ton made him command success,
and with the fall of the Confederacy
the world recognized the foremost
soldier of the age. Lincoln became
President at ffty-one. He met and
triumphantly solved the most diff
cult problems ever presented to an
American President. But by quar-
ter of a century of patient labor in
Legislature and Congress, in his
study and in Titanic debate, he had
mastered all the questions which
were to be decided during the periods
of civil war and reconstruction.
Admiral Dewey was sixty before for
tune confronted him.
He left this University with honor.
He had a creditable record at the
Military Academy at Annapolis. He
did daring and brilliant deeds on he
Mississippi and learned invaluable
lessons under that grand old naval
hero of the civil war, Admiral Farra-
gut. At sea and on land, on his
ship and i'll the navy department at
Washington, with resistless energy
and intelligent work, he became
known as the most thorough and
able officer in both the theory and
practice of naval warfare. The idle
days, the wasted hours, the health
wrecking designations which account
for most of the failures in a career
were never the experience of this en-
thusiast in his profession. He had
no faith in luck or chance, or acct
dent or genius. He believed in work.
His ideals were to have a great
opportunity and be so thoroughly
equipped for every contingency that
: fate must surrender to preparation.
The three-score milestone was be,
hind and the retiring limit near when
Commodore Dewey was placed in
command of the Asiatic squadron
A message was received at Hong
Kong from the Secretary of the Navy
that war lad broken out with Spain
and the Commodore must at once
go to sea and find and capture OF
destroy the Spanish fleet. Edward
Everett Hale's story of the mar
without a country has interested
generations of readers. With Com
, modore Dewey were the fascinating
, possibilities and perils of fleet with
, out home or port. He was six thou
sand miles from the United States
and the neutrality laws closed fol
him friendly harbors, and needed
supplies were contraband of war
, Manila was the fortified harbor o
the enemy, and in it were the war
ships of Spain. It's channels were
mined, its forts manned with modern
, guns, and the Spanish fleet was SUI
perior in numbers and ordnance
But there was the harbor he wanted
= the supplies he required, the ships he
| was ordered to capture or destroy
During a week of great anxiety fol
his countrymen we only knew thai
y the Commodore was sailing over the
Pacific ocean seeking his mission
: On the seventh day the world wa:
electrified by the message that h'
had destroyed the Spanish fleet anC
. that Manila was at his mercy. Thu
splendor of the achievement and tn,
completeness of the victory were thu
result of that thoroughness of plar
and detail whose habit was formed
within these walls, and that undis
puted leadership in his profession