Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-04-12
THE SILVER LINING. AT DAYTON,
Traits That Make Us Have Greater
Respect for One Another


One of the things that the American
people have a right To congratulate
themselves upon is the checrfulness.
the courage and frequently the positive
herolsm with which almost oVerwhelm-
ing disaster is met in this country.
The darkest hour nearly always has its
silver lining and as the details of the
Dayton calamity becomes clearer one il
filled With admiration at the tales of
self-sacriiicc that come along from
every size. For instance. it is recorded
that one of the leading citizens of the
',t~ici-an city has spent virtually all OF
his time in boat carrying food to the
-.,.-ts,.y ana ciutnes 10 the naked and
doing all that an Individual can do,
with the help of friends. pending tho
organizatio of more systematic relief
plans. When ii is remembered that
most of the people have been impris-
onea by water and that they We're
wit hoEt food drinking water. light and
heat for days the Importance of thus
per ional or individual service can lie
rea lilly imagined.
\ gain. the governor of the State of
Ohis and his aides have been up and
abe IT doing all in their power to give
v
inj3 red. Such emergencies try men
sol aly. but the CHER executive of the
mel shhoring Commonwealth appears to
hafe risen To the requirements of the
occ lsion. For days those in authority
Rave been tireless i'll rescue work and
meantime they have had to consider
problems in connection with possible
epidemics and the safeguarding of life
and property. All of these things. it
should be remembered We're prelimi-
nary md. to n great extent. iustinctiAr
and impnsive. Presently the work Of
succof wilI he mapped out AMI or9aniZ-
ed en business lines But that will N
no wiSe sdetract from. the great credit
which issdue To those Who were near ut
hand with the first outbreak and Whp
did all in their power for the'r fellow
creatures.
Where Sc many have been helpful ii
may seem !nvidious 10 single out any
one for particular mention. and vet il
is impossible not to say Il special word
in Communication Of the telephone opsr-
ator who. marooned III the upper story
OF an office building ii lie business
section a. the city. kept Governor Cox
constantly informed as To conditions
in the stricken community. He vas the
means of communication when all 9TH
ers had failed and boatmen WHO rnwed
up To the window of his temporary
uriSon MerC enabled To deliver import
ant orders and to carry the news front
place to place. And through i all he
seems IL have preserved a. light heart
cdness that WAS only equalled 10y the
m@tter-of-f1ct way in which he per-
formed his duties. What. Tor instance,
could be finer than his daybreak mes
sage Ia the state House: Coed morn
ing, governor: the sun il shining in
Dayton.
That sautation illustrates in 4 telling
manner the qualities mast admired ii!
Americans. They take tie cuffs of
fortune and the mightS catamities %
nature as philosophical as possible
and ut the earliest oproI UNITY proceed
to repair the damage ths.t has been
wrought Tile same spirit has been
shown over and Over again. 1t was
demonstrated al JoEnstoNn anu at san
Francisco and now once again II Is
in evidence at Dayton. Truly, the man
in the telephone tower in the stricken
CITY. INDUSTRIOUS cheerful ana self-sac-
rifieing, may be taken as type of tie
American. at his best, in every part o.
this great country.-Philaoelph Bull
lptiu.