Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-26
SPIRITS.
HerOism that Makes us Think BETTER
of Human Nature.

DdlllLllOIt sun.
When men look death in the face It
brings out the brave, undaunted spirit in
them, the spirit tina death cannot con-
quer. In the blacklist darkness the spark
Of manhood burns the brightest.
The thrilling rescue Of some of the
miners at Cherry, ILL.,, after they had been
imprisoned for a week In the caverns hun
dreds Of feet below daylight, has brought
out stories Of terrible suffering, but 1t has
also brought to light Instances Of sub
lime heroism. 1t is inspiring to read how
William Cleland, the sturdy Scotchman,
twice a day conducted religious services
and delivered a little sermon to the men
around him, bidding them be of good
cheer, whether life or death was to re-
suit. The Lord is with us even here,
and great is His mercy!" he would ex-
calm. keep up your hearts, lads! God
Is with us; don't despair. Others nave been
shut off from the light of day as we have,
and in Gods good time have come out
alive" He was a better prophet than he
knew.
In what seemed to be the last extremity,
when their strength was failing and they
had almost lost hope Of ever escaping
alive, George Eddy wrote this letter on
a page in his notebook.
november Ia.
Dear Wife and Children: I write these
few lines to you and / think it will be
for the last time. / have tried to get out
twice, but was drove back. There seems
to be no hope for us. / came down this
shaft yesterday TO help to save the mems
lives. l hope the men / got out were
take taEsa me We" to bury T5zz me- IN s]tr S@ Tog and asSds
back. Keep Esther and Clarence and
Jimmie together as much as you can. I
hope they will not forget their father, so
l viii bid you all goodby and God b'ess
you all. GEORGE EDDY.
Hardly a thought Of himself or Of his
own fate, he greived most for the wife
and children that he thought he had left
behind. His thoughts were for them and
for the men he had risked his own life to
save.
On the other side OF this leaf Water
Waite wrote this note, hoping that some
day It would be found:
We. the undersigned. do not blame anyone
for the accident that happened to pen us
I'm here. and we believe that everybody
has done all In their power TO relieve ms.
With best wishes to all concerned,
The nineteen men penned in together in
this group all signed this notice to the
world that they We're dying without blam-
ing anyone for their fate and with no
hard or bitter feelings against anyone IN
the world.
All who appreciate bravery will rejoice
10 know that these men who knew how
to die were saved 10 live. They are the
kind Of men the world needs, and they will
make ashamed those who worry over pettv
troubles, who fret at the failure to secure
everything they desire and who are
plunged into despair when troubles descend
upon them.
out OF the darkness Of that mine, where
these simple miners were face to face with
death. streams the light Of a heroism that
reveals 10 us the grandeur OF human
nature at its best and which IN It's
striking contrast TO the s%ordidness and
selfishness OF everyday life, serves to
strengthen our faith in man and God. Such
tragedies as this mine disaster are pathetic
and terrible beyound expression, but when
accompanied by the courage and self
abnegation recorded In this case. the
tragedy Is converted into a moral triumph
aud an inspiration to all mankind.