Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1916-10-26
The Modern Viking.
Greensboro News.

opinions as to what the exploit
OF the U.53 means to this coun-
try, but in a race OF red-blooded
men there can be no difference OF
opinion as to the magnificence OF
the exploit itself. In fact, ever
since the war began German
sailors have been wringingunwil'
ling tributes from the lips OF their
enemies. The Emden, the Kron.
prinz Wilhelm, the Eitel Freder.
lea, the Appam and the 'Deutsch.
land are so many garland hung
round the the name of German
marine; never before did a navy
gain such lustre in it's first war.
Here indeed is Romance. The
war on land is q sor1id, dirty
thing. The pomp and blazonry
of other centuries have been re-
placed by vermin. More patience
and endurance and a higherqual-
ity OF courage are required in ar
mics, than heretofore, but there
is little to fascinate the imagina-
tion on a amodern battlefield. For
the glory Of modern warfare one
"must go down to the sea again,
to the lonely sea and sky, where
a nimble wit may still prevail a..
gainst the monstrous engines of
destruction, where the chivalry
of the warrior finds it's last ref
uge, and where a man, if he must
die, may at least die cleanly.
Quite the most attractive type
OF the German fighting man that
Americans have any knowledge
of are these vikings OF the twen-
tieth century. Take the debo-
nair Captain OF the Emden-a
more romantic figure neverstrode
through the rages OF history.
And his lieutenant, who after
his ship had been sunk, sailed
half around the world in a lea.
ky tub, led his little band across
the sscorching sands OF the A.
rabian desert, braved the jag
ged teeth OF the Red Sea reefs and
the swarmlng British destroyers
fought Bedouins on land and the
pirates of Alden on sea, faced an.
initiation momently flor 10000
miles, and finally, at CONSTANT.
nople, remarked to the first Ger
; man officer he met, simply, 81
: report for duty, sir"-why, he
> makes Sinbad q rustic by COM
parison, and Ulysses a stranger
to toll and peril.
Nor do the fighters monopo
lie all the glamor that attaches
: to the German sailor in thest
days. The merry gentleman who
brought the Deutchland over hil
: the average American, as the
vernacular hath it, right where
he lives. The conception of Ko
enig, little and wrinklad and ug
ly, sitting on the bottom OF TIN
sea drinking French champagne
and singing an English song
{ while overhead French and Brit
! ish warships dashed madly bacl
' and forth, seeking to destro,
him, is an idea that tickled tn
: American fancy as few achieve
I lnents of the war have done.
t Now comes Rose with the mos
T. astounding performance of all
: With a cool insolence that D'Ar
D tagnan never equalled he fout
u the prowling Lion outside ou
' ports and runs into harbor, ar
o rarently merely TO suggest t.
g his friend, the American admiral
y that the latter might do We
e to prepare to gather up tn
Z survivors from t e wreckag
n which he proposes to make OF th
Lions mercantile fleets. We ar
inclined to think that so able
dramatist would not have d'
scended to the crudity OF a.tua
g. ly telling Admiral Knight wha
he was going to do; but his YER
presence in the harbor was gu