Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-30
HEROES ASLEEP
IN CITY'S HEART.
Graves of Decatur and Ror...
Only a Step From the Busv
Street-A Toast That Be.
came an Epitaph

NOWHERE in Philade,ph,. :,
~ tie and bang OF the streets hs,,. ,,. ~ ~.
ancient traditional calm and d,gr,., 'us
old Philadelphia as in the heart
Philadelphia itself. But tba, y. oa
about I'd and Sd and Marke, oaa ses''on
nut streets is blessed as no otbar M sns7t
the city is with GASES Of peaoa =.
matte and extreme as the clan,or :, =
thoroughfares, One can slim ov, :. sae
turmoil Into Christ Church ana ! 'ns
instant drop the century and ous,,s'
which has produced the jumble u s.sa
fic outside. In the cool hush OF The ,,..,s sr
empty church the meaning OF ,ha ~.
nag at the chancel within a strid. :, ~
spot where Washington worshiped ,,.s4s
and throbs In the semi.darkness a.
cathedral, after the eyes have foreo,,.s
the garish outer sunlight, a sta,nod I.,s-l
window that was at first a meani,.,. $50
mass begins to bloom with hidden
glories To'
The change Is not so sharp on entsr,.-
the graveyards of the section. for esa,..s
them the rumble of drays and cars !.
encompassing storm, growing and thr...
ening as II 1t intended to drive the A..
from their insecure resting place D..
In at least two cases the fretful o,rror,.
of present-day existence will have a hars
time uprooting, though they find II easv
to forget the dead.
The Grave of Decatur
One expects to find peace in a prav..
yard, but will not find It IL he tats. ~.
imagination along. For he is inclined -
think that every one buried there IL o,d
But not so. Many of them went n tba,,
rest in their prime. In Old ST. petsr,s
quiet graveyard lanes the grave of Deca.
tur Is peculiarly disturbing The cluster
Of little flags at the base of the tall shaf,
f1utters in the wind today as unrestful,v
as If they felt the urge of the adven.
turous spirit they honor, and above tha
eagle at the top of the shaft, with out.
spread wings, seems ready to swoop about
screaming a vigorous American answer
t. the toast upon the pillar.
For on the tomb of the young Deca.
tur The was only al years old when a
duelist's bullet laid him low) there Is tha
feature, unusual for tombstones. OF
toast to which the wine glasses were
once emptied with a vim such as few
toasts have ever called forth. "our
country right or wrong!" cried Decatur,
and it is his epitaph. On the other side
of the monument his name is described
as brilliant from a series of heroic deeds
on the coast of Barbary" To one who
recalls anything of those heroic deeds
that grave can never be a place for rest.
full revery. 1t was in 1904 that 1t was
determined by the American admiral that
some one should be brave enough to de.
stroy a vessel which the enemy had cap.
tured, the Philadelphia. 1t was held In
the harbor of Tripoli,
There was call for volunteers, and
Decatur, a Lieutenant 26 years old, took
his men in boats on a dark night into ths
harbor. One hundred and forty.one guns
roared from every side of the harbor.
trained on the few little boats OF Deca.
tur's men. But he kept his men to
the work and they fired the Philadelphia.
which was soon a pillar of flame shooting
high into the tropic night while the guns
spoke on. Then he brought his crews out
oil the harbor again in safety.
% Barry's Resting Place
So wide had the fame of Decatur's
memorable toast, Our country, right or
wrong" spread about that If he had said
or done nothing else that alone would
have brought him fame. Into the grave.
yard one bitter March day in 1920 they
carried the hero of sea fights. A certain
officer. Barron. had gained the impres.
sion that Decatur had insulted him.
They met in a Maryland woods and De-
catur fell. He died shortly afterwards
and his body was brought to this city for
burial. An immense crowd thronged 70
pay him honor and the city was in mourn
ing.
Around the corner from Decatur's
grave is that OF another hero, the great
Barry, whose grave in st. Marys
Catholic Church yard is also marked by
flags today. On the stone Is cut the great
title, Father of the American Navy
There too. the spirit OF life surges strong
despite the tombs, In Independents
Square STANDS his statue, with the ara
matte arm extended, and the hand seems
to CULVER with an intensity of fervor IL
the vision to which it points eternaliy'