Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-02-15

OF this bill. | had almost said that
had rather be a dog and bay the
moon than such a Roman. l will not
yet despair. Rome had her Curtius;
Sparta her L~eonidas, and Athens her
band Of devoted patriots-and shall
1t be said that the American senate
contains not n man who will step
forward to rescue his country in this
moment of peril?"
Story About General Harrison.
Out Of the record of the days of
Calhoun, Webster, Jackson and the
rest comes a story of General William
Henry Harrison, of whom the record
writer says: General Harrison was a
native of Virginia and received his
education there. To his last day he
never recovered from Plutarch."
This animadversion, for az such 1t
is intended, was uttered in connection
with the statement that the use of
ancient illusions was a fault (or
virtue) common to the Virginians.
The chronicler tells this story Of Gen
eral Harrison and his love for Plu-
tarch, and Daniel Webster's connec-,
ton herewith.
President Harrison's inaugural
message proved the duration of his
attachment to Plutarch. Plutarch's
heroes would have appeared therein
in still greater numbers but for an
untimely fate that kept them out.
ut was sad at the time that the
morning before the message was de-
hvered the secretary of state elect
(Webster) was met by a friend walk
ing in the vicinity Of the White
House in no little apparent perturba-
ton.
"'What is the matter with you this
morning, Mr.. Webster?' inquired his
friend; you seem agitated.'
"sAgitated, sir! and who would not
feel agitated, that had committed the
murder l have this morning?
Murder! Mr.. Webster?'
"'Aye, sir, murder; murder with
malice aforethought, Of l know not
how many Greeks and Romans"
1t may have been Of benefit to Har'
rison's writing style that Webster
was a merciless copy reader.
William e. Russell is the envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipo
Tertiary of the United States to the
Dominican republic. Mr.. Russell lie
one of the picturesque men Of the
| governments foreign service. Once.
on a time he was our minister to
| Venezuela when President Castro
was in all his troubling glory. When
the officials of the department of
state and naval officers happen to get
together they find stories of William
W. Russell appealing, for the envoy
extraordinary is as we'll known in
naval circles as he is In state circles.
Mr.. Russell is a grave diplomat
with a light in his eye that neither
gravity nor position can put out.
But he was not always a grave one
burdened with the affairs Of state.
| Once upon a time he was Pete"
Russell, midshipman in the United
States Naval Academy. William was
| changed into Pete" the minute
that he reported at Annapolis, but
truth compels the statement that
neither the official archives nor the
middies' archives disclose the reason
for turning William into Pete. Suf-
fee 1t to know that the middies
would have it that way. and that way
1t went.
Midshipman Russell had a way
with him. and the middies and the
authorities were not long in finding
1t out. Pete had difficulty in re-
straining himself on occasion.
Breakers Under His Bow.
One Sunday at Annapolis the chap
lain preached long and droningly.
The listening middies were tired out
with the heat of the day and the bur
den Of the sermon, which lasted one
hour and ten minutes. The sermon
over. a soloist in the choir, started
in to sing Sun of My Soul" He
went through the first line untrip-
pingly and then struck into the sec
ond. ut is not night" he sang.
Then he repeated ut Is not night
and repeated it again. The sermon
and the song got on Pete" Russell's
nerves He stood up, whistled melo'
diously but very loudly the tune &C
companying the third and fourth
lines of the first stanza of Sun Of
My SOUL" and then before the Devil,
dered and shocked officers could put
in an interference, he calmly de-
manded the soloist to "get a move on
him."
They grabbed Pete out from the
middle pew seat and marched him
down the aisle under guard. Wher
the corps was dismissed and was
marching back to the barracks Pete
was going in the opposite direction
headed for the prison ship Santee
with his books and his blanket swung
over his shoulder. AS he passed the
marching middies and the officers II
command he vas heard loudly solilo
Quizing, with his head well down IL
counterfeit abjectness:
Poor Pete, poor Pete. breakers
right under Pete's bow"
Daring.