The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-08
Years Hero ROLL Those Decorated by the Covernmemtar
Actors i'm Varied and Exciting Melodranas of Real Life

! Tho governments hero roll for III,
lycar juet closed hears tho names o.
'thirty.four men-hlack and white
sitled and obscurc--who. as a reward
for riskins their lives 10 save thci,
fellows from horrible deaths in tn,
water and upon the rail. have received
that most coveted OF official dccora
lions granted by our cuuntry--thc life
saving medal of honor.
This order of merit is awarded in
three grades. The gold silver and
bronze, the frs, two being presented
by the Secretary OF the Treasury for
deeds OF great daring and self sacrifice
1ipon Federal waters. and the third
being presented Ivy the President him
self for the heroic saving OF life upon
cur railways engaged in Interstate COM
mercc lSut whereas the relative in
trinsic value OF the gold or silver
medal is an index TO tho opportunities
for courage which the holder embraced
70 The best of his Heroic abilities. the
less precious substance in the bronze
railway medal bears no indication OF a
lesser degree OF herosm on tho part of
its wcarer as compared with the holder
OF the marine order OF the higher cate
CORY. The railway medal has no
grades. In the eyes OF onicialdom
i those upon whose breasts It is pinned
Fare all equal. ono is as great n hero
Jas another. And with it goes little
| button bearing the word ''iiero"--a
| badge for everyday Wear which does
not accompany ovoa the sold medal
sof your water hero.
in awarding one Of these national
! ,nedals OF honor, UP Mt tho United
States Capitol, some years back. our
'I'ncln Joe" Cannon remarked that the
partition between hcrosm and arrant
cowardicc is often OF tissue paper
,hlnness In fact, our psychologist
friends have pointed ont that the most
timd. responding suddenly to some
paradoNical impulse. are sometimes
won't to outdo in courage all of your
professional heroes lowering round tho
theatre OF action.
Hcroism IL Not Habit.
Rut that heroism may also br IL CON
Etitutional phenomenon Of the nervous
system. ami perhaps an hereditary one
one that Is in the blood. at least
we often have convincing evidences,
and case in point is that Of one of
our heroes enrolled upon this last
honor list issued by a grateful govern
mcnt.
To not few OF our great mctropo-
,1is' denizcns the name ''liughcy"
Dohcrty has a most familiar ring al
though 1t was decade or more ago
that he was being repeatedly thrust
into the spot light by chroniclcrs Of
his dare dcril rescucs. Eleven mon.
lwomcn and children owed their lives
20 him In those times. principally while
he was captain of tho Concy Island
iCrcek volunteer lifc-saving station,
land for pulling them ont OF the gnasli-
,'ns Jaws of the demon death Congress.
fNN1. "a 10 ia
Isilrer medal of honor. Since then. in
lstead of prostituting his glory by cs-
irablishinE p Bowery saloon, as other
local heroes OF his time have done. he
11as-llkc the drain man in MIR. Don
telly's excellent play. THE Servant In
Tho House, found a calling less orna-
mental but more useful than that OF
many prominent citizens whose life
is dedicated to n less malodorous mis-