Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-19
GENTLEMEN, THE
SERVICEr

come the commander, officers and
men of the great battleship fleet to Los
Angeles.
The welcome is based on enthusias-
| tic patriotism, and is in appreciation.
not only of the deeds and valor of our
guests, but also of the noble memories
and gallant deeds Of the men gone be-
| fore, who gave the United States navy
its illustrious laurels and the country
it's sublime hereditaments of union and
freedom.
Our warm-hearted and patriotic pop
ulation will outdo itself in showering
honors and hospitality on the officers
and men of the great fleet but amid
feast and frolic while our gallant visi-
tors are made to feel they are indeed
in home port, let memory retrace the
rugged way to the troublous years of
the early SOS, and in honor of the men
who then walked the quarter-decks and
stood behind the guns call up the deeds
that have made the naval annals of our
country glorious.
Call up the burned and ruined navy
yards and purposely scattered ships of
that day, and then bring on memory's
stage the heroic men who marshaled
that crippled force to the greatest
naval war in modern annals. Slemner
at Fort Pickens, Dupont and Dahlgren
on the heart-breaking and courage
testing blockade
Call up Farragut and Porter as they
opened up the Mississippi Again we
see the dawn of April "a. 1862, and Far
ragut lashed in the mizzen rigging, as
he cries: Damn the torpedoes, go
aheadl"
Call up Lieut. worden in the
"cheesebox" Monitor, who met and de-
feated the Merrimac on March 8, 1862,
when the flag of the sinking Cumber-
land was mailed to the mast by the
Cumberland's crew"
Call up the passing of the batteries
at vicksburg in SO, when Admiral Por-
ter led fleet of nondescripts through |
the heaviest plunging fire ever known
and succeeded In making Grants move
ments successful.
Call up the battle of Mobile bay, when
Farragut passed the hell of fire that
never has been equaled for destruc-
tion. Call up Commander Craven of
had blown in the bottom of his ship
and she was settling in the turbid |
waters of Mobile bay, stepped aside in
the pilot house, bidding the pilot go
first, and trod the winepress of duty
to death, alone.
Call up Lieutenant Cushing, who |
Call up the gallant attack on and
capture of Fort Fisher by Admiral
Porter and Gen. Terry, and the men
under their command. 1t was then
that our Fighting Bob Evans won his
first laurels in a landing party from
the Powhatan and received the wound |
in his knee that is still troubling him. |
Call up Winslow on the quarterback
of the Kearsarge when he gave battle
to Semmes in the Alabama and fought
the most gallant action of the war.
Call up the admirals, commodores, !
captains and hundreds of other officers
and the thousands Of gallant tars who
fought and fell with them in the war
for the Union and our loving minis
trations to the men who now are in
the places of the glorious dead will be |
sweeter for the fact
In modern times the deeds of the |
new navy, although already classics in
the history books are easily remem- |
bered by most grown men and women. |
Many of our guests of the visiting
fleet took part in the glories of San
Juan and Matanzas. Some fought with
Sampson and Schley at Santiago, or at
serving under the inspiration of the
we'll remembered example of those
glorious yesterdays
The new navy, like the navy of the
Civil War. is always prepared for ac-
ton, and verify it seems to lead o |
charmed existence. To fight a losing !
battle, nay, even to lose man or ship, !
is in it's experience WE'LL nigh i'm
possible.
But there is nothing occult or magical
about the charm. 1t is the result of
trained brains, sound minds in sound
bodies. There is one feature of the
service that should never be forgotten,
We have not only fine navy but the
best educated naval force in the world.
The lads in the blue are keen, alert,
intelligent, active and sure of mind,
active and sure of body. TO our loving
appreciation of the splendid iitn who
now make the navy we add retro
spective appreciation of the men of a
bygone generation, who made the pres
ent navy possible. There should be time
and place to arise at the festive board
for the toast of the day:
Gentlemen, THE SERVICE, PAST
AND PRESENT"