New-York tribune., 1905-04-16
JOHN PAIL JONES.

7bo American nation owes a debt Of gratitude
20 its Ambassador TO France Fer years Gen
ersl Porter has pursued, at his own eApSN'o'
With admirable tact and with unhagglng oeNo-
ton and determination. what seeIheu u li4"i.y
and was declared by some a hopeless quee1 ~
last his efforts have been rewarded WIN SUI
cess even more complete than, we lnlasine' ne
himself had ventured TO expect. de mas tOullu
tha cofRned remains of the founder OF the Amer
80 80 n such circumstances and in such
a state OF preservation as leave no uouO' VI
tbe,r identitv. That is an achievement upon
which he is to be heartily congratulated anu
which must cause thrill of patriotic graunca-
tion throughout the whole United States,
Il will he \ fitting and commendable thing
now 10 bring home the remains OF our hrsI
naval hero to rest in the land which he so Ioveu
and for which he fought with so renoWneu
vsIor. 1t will be better still if the inciden lall
cause more general study OF the true = &c
ter of John Paul Jones and Of the signii-.snce
Of his career. Few of the great men o. the
Revolutionary era have been so i'll treated IN
history as he. In popular romances ne mas
been carieatured and lampOoned, and even In
serious histories until very lately he has been
grossly misrepresented. We need not recall the
monstrous epithets Of pirate and adventurer
which were once falsely applied to him; but II
is probably within bounds to say that the pretty
has been that Of a rude and somewhat I'M
serunulous seaman of fortune, who fought one
or two daredevil fights and ended his days
under \ cloud The fact is that he was one OF
the men of real genius Of that time, worthy or
q place on the same roll with Washington, Ham
ilton and Greene; that he was possessed of eX-
centionalIv high culture and commanding intel
lectuaI abilities; that his personal character was
marked with purity, charm and chlValry In an
unusual degree, and that in his conceptions Of
the value Of naval power and of the proper
character culture and policy Of naval officers
he was far in advance Of his time, and set up
standard toward which the maritime powers of
the world have ever since been striving, but
which they have scarcely yet attained. The
world can never forget and America can never
cease TO glory in his unrivalled sea fight off
Scarborough Head; but still more precious and
inspiring TO remember Is the spirit of the man
himself
The one episode OF his life that IS to be re-
garded with serious regret was his entry into
the Russian service. But it must be remem-
bered that there were others who bore still less
patiently than he the unjust vagaries of Con-
gress, and there have been others since then
who have been equally moved by fancies Of
Russian affection for America. For his indis-
cretion he suffered in his experience of the un-
speakable corruption of the Russian service,
which was of type that must have been pecul
iarly revolving TO his high sense Of honor, and
for it he paid with his life. His cOuntrymen
win not ignore the lesson Of that episode, but
they will draw over the thing itself the veil OF
charitable forgetfulness while they dwell with
pride and exultation upon the otherwise splen-
did career of the great man. They will with
especial qualification welcome home his dust at
this time, when the principles for which he so
earnestly contended, Of masterful sea power for
the nation and OF the highest intellectual and
moral qualities in its naval commanders, are at
last attaining triumphant recognition.