The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-06

visited the wonderful old town IN thee
oatsr DAYS 81 its existence and have found
u transformed into a favorite summer ~
bort. which l. growing more and more
popular wear bv wear.
lite quaint cobbls- paved streets In the
Sason sr. ,hrong>d with CAV visitors
from many States it, -hir-deser'~d
~harve~ ring with merry laughter. and
H. beautiful beach Is dotted with groups
~ pleasure and health-sceking iathers.
hile at night an excellent band makes
night melodious In tie broad. ld-fsshioned
make, place. where The visitors sit OF stand
around after the dsv's eXertions
But In spite OF all this gayety Nantucket.
vii persist. 20 my thinking, al any rate.
H. wearing an air ~ being deserted. beref,
o. her reason TO he Her glorious past
y u clinss abou, her like the aroma ~
. ded rose petals Ia long unused bureaus.
I'D on every hand the mental vision will
a. scern evidences ~ what Nantucket ono"
y q, and that. a. men count time. not very
lcag ago
cay mental vision advIsedly. FOR per
bars ons Of the most striking proof. ~ the
brsvity ~ mems memories. the ease with
which they will allow the most majestic
memories Of a mighty past fade away and
die, thai can he found anywhere will he
found in Nantucket. II " a mo-t profound
mystery to me how in q town like this.
which should surely occupy a place In the
~ery foremost ranks Of Americas glorious
history. Il is possible to roam everywher.
without nesting any and visible
sign Of It's departed greatness.
Do American ottincn. realize. I wonder.
what the sperm whale fishery was not
----l-.. A. E.-l.,I k.,s - 81. yh,la. ~
the infan, colony. and later Ia the Herculean
habe Of their young Republic' Ii IL possible
tka, Americans can have forgotten what
kind Of men they were. these strong. silent
islander. who. not conten, with Drawing
the perils Of the deep. nowhere more perilous
thar around these intricate shores. added
To them q hundredfold nv mi, iatins a
tra6ic which had for It's central factor
the most Titanic warfare the world has ever
wii messed. q ~~arfar- mightier by far than
any 81 which Homer sang. but which ALA.
Ia, produced no Homer to give IL the need
OF deaihlese verse Il deserves.
!, seems almost insulting 50 10 imagine,
snd We, ! fear there IL no way to avoid such
an idea. More than that. | cannot help
feeling tina, such memories a. do survive
Rave been allowed in the outward express
ION TO become trivial and jejune. no more
vorthy OF the town. the State. or the nation.
{ IAN would have been a lumber monument
,iscked out in gaudy merctriciousne-s 81
plint to the fragrant memory Of Lincoln
or Garfield
The reason for such feelings % mine
!. that IA Nsntucke, ] saw q poor. pitiful.
~hroadshee, pasted on the walls of a mean
huilding grAndiloquently styled the Athen-
.um Museum. II SGT forth that within
might be seen the lower jaw Of q giant
sperm whale. fully furnished with teeth
and many other curiositics. the charge to
View which would he Is centsl did not
60 In. for ! felt sick at heart.
I should have expected TO fnd Jaws OF
sperm whales. ARCHES Of their monstrous
ribs. colossal fragments Of their ver'-brs.
he splendid chariots Of their skulls. adorn-
ing the lawns ~ tho-- pretty houses round
about. scattered In lavish profusion every
where. siupendous trophies " the long.
long fight that did 30 much 20 est abli.h
the foundation Of this magnificent land
and enduring memorials TO the proves
~ the warriors who had brought them
from out Of the vast mysterious deep. had
collected tn em from The confines OF tho
round world.
Had seen such q bill pasted on q tenn
porary booth In a mushroom English - O.
side resort. | hould have smiled sadly
and passed on thinking possibly n ~
arc the mighty fAllenl' The monarch
~ the deep's gigantic rems ms made the
objects Of a ~siI-penny show But TO find
-ucn an siroctty perpe'rated here In Nan
,ucket. where " anywhere I should have
expected 10 see not merely a splendid statue
to Herman Melville. but a heroic group
In marble or bronze Of a ~hal-bost's crew
attacking a sperm whale set up In tho market
place this. I~confess. gave me such a shock
as ] have not We, t%rn able To recover from.
lh a word. the bill. IA. building. and tho
environment thereof, seemed Ia mo I'M
u,terably paltry and unworthy 81 80 stuISn-
dous a past.
Well. have unpackcd NV heart . words
even " ] have not fallen ~-s-cuTsing like
q very drab. and I feel better. Now ! can
81 ON 60 por what | saw that WAS really
full Of the tragedy, the psthos Of tho ps-l
There 10 a square, red brick building
lsbelied Custom Hou--. which IL also the
United States meteorological station. at
the head Of one Of the deserted YES.
In the town end II thIs building there IL a
room Wherein NAV lie met Ia the cool
Of the evening a little n 81 ancient
,aen who have been through all the seas
of all the world Engaged In that mighty,
never ending warfare trt " e,.n man and
beasts that IN summed up Ia the two
words sperm whaling Several Of them
sN. "fN1 ie WI NV hlafNNtl rIt4
10 life. but all. ~iih the cicvpj.uh 81 al
occasional slight deafness. look hale and
rigorous Ia such a desre. that one II com-
!slled 10 believe their hong long VOYAGES
have generated such vitality Ia them
nothinG hut accident can dissipats IL
But whAemen who survive Ia this most
dangerous OF all callings have a hAhit 81
living 90 q grand aud furc-ful old age.
And they bear about with them their Ger
u0cstss of ntn--s ~ To survive. since IL 10
certain that no man eau spend many years
tn the chase Of ths cAahAlOt without
having develop-d tho-c qualities In highest
measure which ". have al agreed 10 re-
gard - the hallmarks Of manhood.
But. alas, the-s Old captains are 'aci.
turnity i~ncsrnAt" They st tor hour.
smoking sr Eliminating with ewes that
apparently stare into vacancy. tut arc
really, ] believe. looking backward scro-s
the great deep - the past upon the spl-ndid
phAntAsmasOris - their lives pccss-
ionallv an eIsculstory f.mark 4. made
upon som. tuvtality. local politics Or he
nte. usuAlly 60 which 80 rquallv biicf
reply conr- or = -rir- 20 half -atticulats
gro~ls int-lligibls only ~ the initiated
Those wonderful men Who have --~u -
rpuch, who anow - muCh, hat enc would
think u only necc--sfy 90 ask a symIa-
tteftc Uue~ti0n In Crief O. sst NNt- the '