The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-04-26
MEN.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

of us have been thinking during the
last gloomy week. They strip clean
laway the unessentials and leave the
naked uradorned truth 20 confront
Jus. They do away completely with the
superiicialities OF birth, breedins and
possession. the pretense of gar5 and
manner. the false separation of class
and caste. a good many people, had
they asked casually a week ago for
their opinion Of the probability OF pre-
leminent courage in men whose lines
have been east In pleasant places, who
lare known more or less accurately as
the silk stockings" would have re-
lplied. quite as casually. That the
chances were against IT, Yet one OF
the best attested pieces of Information
Il that has come to ms from the THAMES
deck was that men whose lives have
commanded a kings ransom were
personally brave. There was Guegen-
helm. who could have promised Ismay
the price of another Titanic for seat
in the lifeboat. but he husied himself
helping the weaker ones, at the last
giving a stoker a message To his wife
which has been delivered, and then
looming his Dress coat with the re
mark that. since he had To go down.
he would rather go like p gentleman.
If you get 10 land" said Guggenhcim
to the stoker, go to my wife and tell
her that did what | thought was best
tell her did my duty"
Considering in what connections we
have heard the name of Guggenheim
these last few years. this scene on
the deck of the Titanic forces a revis-
ion OF some of the notions the general
public has held.
And there WAS Archie Butt. The
country has had q good deal of fun
| With the presidents aide. He was a
Beau Brummel, of handsome carriage
and dashing manner. whose duties
were thought to be so exclusively
social that some did not hesitate to
brand him as a fop. His dress uni
| forms, his flashing here and there al
presidential balls and drawing rooms
and receptions and journeys. gave the
| country the impression of 9. brilliant
bird of plumaEe. Our people are so
| exceedingly democratic that the social
| management Of an establishment like
| the presidents is something not easily
| understood and appreciated. 1t seemed
| little thing To manage White
House levee. to master the art OF
precedence, and TO be social director
buffer and what-n not of brilliant as
| semblages. Yes, the photographers had
great sport with Archie Rutt-who. be-
| ing a one time newspaper man HIM
| self, doubtless understood and enjoyed
| il.
But Archie Butt on the deck Of the
| ritanic Not a White House recep-
tion crush now, but a crush of ter
rffied people. Not a thousand hands Of
supplication. But the skill which had
directed great White House throngs
was now used to direct this mass OF
people facing death. Butt knew what
to DO. No uniforms now, 40 titles,
no deep bowings and courtesies--but
a mars work q soldiers work. and
Maj Butt did IL In the face Of death
Somehow he stands before the nation
lull soldierly. and he has contributed
an Ideal To American manhood. We
know him now!
Among LEGO of the dead il is diff
cult to choose a few names and leave
the rest lnsaid. But what relates to
one relates to all There was Col. |
oh mi a l.sNx
months ago that the country rang with |
criticism Of his intention to marry ana |
cxecration of his former private life. |
There was doubtless much Justice in |
what was said. and the public interest |
was based upon a sound sense of mo.
rality. But at that time the public did |
not foresee the Titanic and Col AS
tor on her decks. His honeymoon |
waning. the wealthy American was re |
turning home-stll poltroon in the |
minds Of many OF his coantrymen. But |
In an hour he turned out TO be a |
man. During the suspense of getting |
the women and children away, who |
will say that John Jacob Astor dld no, |
gladly pay some OF LIES arrears? Who |
viii deny that In the darkness and |
confusion of that. night the former |
stains did not visibly fade out. leaving |
the man that might have been-thc
man that then was? And wherever the |
career of that man is spoken Of. men /
will say of him that at the last he was i
a man.
OF late the country has had it's fling II
at the marital troubles of the rich and
doubtless there has been plenty of
ground for IL, but n great fact came "a III
light when MIS-. Straus saw death and III
her husband standing together and
chose them both. With houses and
lands. position and power wealth and
friends IN great array, a woman OF the
very rich was faithful unto death"
Because of that IL will he a long time
before even superficial thinkers will
feel able to condemn either men OF
women by reason of wealth or caste.
So. here i'm n way is the trend of
the epitaphs the last week has writ
ten. Men who were misunderstood are
at last known for what they are. Men
who were held In light esteem nov
bear upon us by their very virility