The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-07-15

. IOue VI bhb plhiht bOhhivht Vi"iA"'
] chips crew, the men who are neve
: heard about, yet who in an action arr
the fighting force, the men behind thu
% guns, the men in the rigging, th'
stokers in the engine rooms, the
powder monkeys, and performers Of the
common labor and drudgery that keeps
the ship clean, her colors flying, hel
sides painted, her guns polished, her
machinery oiled, and her shot and shell
ready 10 fly at the word Of command
"cear decks for action" These are the
common unknown heroes that little is
written about, and who die unwept, un.
honored and unsung and sink ihto
cofIinless graves. They are not re-
garded as heroes in the popular mind,
yet the man performing menial drudg-
cry in obscurity is on an average a
greater hero than those we hear much
about. Each one must be man and
stand up to a riged code Of duty, with
no glamour or protection 10 shield him
II he fails or goes wrong, lie lives aud
laoors and passes away unnotccd. IL
is not 80 certain but that II real
measurement Of the truly self-sacri.
dcing qualities could be taken, deducting
all the ilctions, the heroes would be the
unknown, unheralded aud obscure
slaves OF duty. Take the man or woman
who brings up little family of children
in poverty. Work day after day,
privation that the children may
have chance, unable 10 have n
home or save penny, employment un.
certain, food and clothing must be- pro-
cured, the children often troublesome,
sometimes repaying devotion with
ingratitude or misconduct, yet the
father or mother. and often both, plod
along doing for their offspring the best
they can, denying themselves all
pleasure, that the children may have a
better chance In the world than they
did themselves. This is pretty near
the heroism of tho parental relation in
poverty, and ITS blessing 10 tho world is
the salvation OF society. Such deserve
a pension II pensions are ever deserved.
Many man or women goes down in
this unselnsh struggle for others. An
toher type OF unseldsh hero is the man
or woman who cares for some old per-
son, some father or mother, grandma or
grandfather, who grows more iretiul,
more exacting, as age creepa on. One
such In this city has just buried an
old mother by whose side he has sat
day and night for six months and ON
whom he waited as ON child. She
was unhappy unless her son was by her
side and with unialte'ing devotion he
cared lor her aud rendered her services
that only the wealth of millionaire
could have sxacted from hired attend.
ants. Such things restore faith in the
uuselhshness OF humanity, and mark
another OF the real men behind the guns
that protect society against disintegra-
tion aud corrOsion from selhshness aud
pessimism which consists not alone In
the trumpeted acts Of greatness but in the
unnumbered aud unpaid deyotions that
are never chronioled in this world, hut
surely inscribed on tho ineiiAceable
pages OF the Hook OF Life, and the un-
ehangeable records OF tho History OF
kindness
The people of Forest Grove have lost
their beautiful Congregational church
by lire, that is believed by some 10 have
been OF inoendiary origin and the out
growth OF bitter fight between some Of
the church people aud the drugstores
that retail liquor in that community.
The Pastor OF the church has been what
is called fearless" in his denuneiation
OF the druggists, but the church had
little or no insurance aud the pastor has
a job ON his hands 10 build another
house OF worship, TnE Journal believes
in all churches a. a means OF education
aud lifting the people TO higher planes
Of thought aud living and better morale,
While there are hypocrites in the
churches aud sinners, aud people who
make one very tired, aud We wish there
was some other place for them, the work
Of the church underlies the family insti.
tuition, aud the family lies az the basis
OF the State and law aud order in the
community. From the hrst sacred
Epistles the Apostle Paul seat out 10 the
churches in Asia down 20 the smallest
band OF Christians OF whatsoever name,
lie work has been iov che progress and
uplifting OF humanity, While many
limes the churches have been wrong in
their relation 10 public matters, and
have done wrong, tho history OF the dc.
gelopment OF civilization with she inau.
,nee OF Christianity left Ont would BE- a
hort, bloody and fatalislic volume. rHE
ouRNAL does not hesitate 10 say the ss-
itude OF the Forest Grove pastor toward
he drugstores Of that .towh has been a
one. The use Of liquors aud