The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-01-03
IA BRAVE AMERICAN SOLDIER.

mander Of the Irish Brigade in South
Africa, has been visiting Boston within
few days and adding to his large
army OF friends In this section, says
the Pilot. No published picture Of
him does justice to his interesting and
attractive personality. Instead of til"
rugged-looking fronticrsman of the
newspaper portraits, he presents the
ideal figure and face of the American
army officer which he Is. Over six
feet in height, erect and slender. Will,
Il handsome. gonl-humorcd face, close
cut chestnut hair and small mustachc,
he looks like man Of thirty-livc. He
is really fortysix and has compressed
half a century's work into little more
than twenty years.
Colonel Blake graduated from West
Point i'll the class Of 1880 and went ut
once Oil service against the Apachcs,
having such teachers in the art of war
as Miles and Crook. He is Texan,
and II that We're not enough to ensure
his being a good fighter, he is also the
son Of Irish parents, from Galway.
where soldering is Il birthrigh.
When the Apachcs became good"
Indians. in one sense or the other, and
there was no more warfare to be- had,
he resigned from the service The war
in South Africa gave him a much de-
sired opportunity to give his sword
where his heart had always been. il,
battle against the English. How well
lie used the opportunity the whole
world knows. The man who had met
the tiercest aborigincs on their native
ground was ut home among the kopjcs
OF the Transvaal. He enjoyed ii. Not
Il burgher among the whole army OF
Beers enjoyed it so well. He had even
older accounts than theirs to settle, and
he did it in Il way that should cntitl,,
him to receipt in full from the tradi-
tlonal enemy, though he does not feel
that reckoning is at all liuuidatcd. n
reward of 5000 was offered for his
capture, dead or alive, but nobody
made any serious effort to gain it.
They were glad to let him depart, as,
he did at his leisure, by way Of Cape.
town.
Colonel Blake has acquired some in
tercsting knowledge touching an I'M
portant feature Of warfare, in his late
campaign. He says that the commits
Sariat of the Beers is ut once tho
simplest and most valuable Of I'LL. Tho
diet which he calls the hest fighting
food IN the world is Indian meal
"mush." That and an occasional ,:,-
ton of fresh beef, he says, are enough
to carry any body of soldiers through
in health and strength. AS a proof
he cites the experience of his owl
command in which only one man died
of illness during two years OF the ut
most hardships and privations Somt
of our soldiers in the Civil War. North
erners as we'll as Southcrners. found
the same diet wonderfully sustaining
on long marches. Amer icanS and
Beers do not need so much of the
"roast beef Of old England as thea
enemies do; but no more do they re-
quirc pianos, billard-tables and bath
tubs in their campaigning. All tho
comforts of home are not compatible
with the exigcncies of actual warfare
Colonel Blake is modest in talking
about his exploits, as becomes Il hravs
and loyal soldier. He will he l..nr.
from in a more eloquent way IT the op
portunity come to him; for he is sol
der Of faith, not Of fortune. His
participation in the war for freedom IL
South Africa came from no mere love
Of fighting. The cause appealed to him
doubly, as an American consecrateG
to the service of freedom and Us a,
Lrishman hating the traditional enem;
of his fatherland. Had there beer
more such men of his race in Americ,
with kindred feelings to HIS the shame
full treachery which permitted Unite,
States soil to be used as British
supply camp would never have bee
ronsummated, and the Boer Wa
would have had a different ending