The Washington herald., 1917-02-05
"The Hero of Manila Bay. :
nv oaIsoN SWEET MARDEN.

swered the last roll-call. Admirai
George Dewey, the hero OF Manila
Bay." has gone on the last great ad-
venture, to join his brothers in Val
halla.
That the battle of Manila Bay, in
which he won his laurels, was not
one OF the great battles OF history
does not lessen the credit due Ad-
niral Dewey for his victory. The
foresight, courage, skill, strategyand
daring by which he won the battle
measured up to that of Farragut or
Nelson.
Dewey would have been equal to
any occasion that confronted him,
because he was made of the stuff that
wins. In the words of President Will
son in announcing his death. to Con-
sress, "He had the stuff in him which
all true men admire and upon which
all statesmen must depend in the
hour of peril"
Added to his daring and courage,
his readiness to fight without hesita-
ton, all the high qualities that dis
tingufsh a naval hero, Admiral Dewey
possessed in a remarkable degree
those other qualities that make for
success in any walk of life. They are
epitomized in these words by New
York newspaper:
"He lived to be an octogenarian,
and in eight decades he never did
anything that was not well and COM
pletely done, done quickly. quietly,
and consummately; there never was
a rough edge or a loose string left
on any of his work. Whether he
dealt with men or things or events,
whatever he did was done in the
least possible time, with the least
possible noise and without leaving
any room for argument about the
method or the result.
Everything he was ever set to do
he did perfectly, and before doing it
he prepared for everything that could
happen, so far as human foresight
and common sense could take him
into the future"
If ever there was man who could
carry a message to Garcia, Admiral
Dewey was that man.
In the midst of the difficulties
which confronted him at Manila, he
consulted no one; he asked no advice;
he didn't wait for instructions or au-
thority from the government at
Washington. He acted so entirely on
his own responsibility that there
were no reports or communications
on record in the Navy Department in
Washington relating to the action at
Manila prior to the battle. When,
marveling at this, President McKin-
ley asked the returned hero if any
reports had been sent, the answer
was:
mo, Mr.. President. AS I was on
the spot and familiar with the situa-
ton, it seemed best that l look after
it myself, at time when you had
worries enough of your own"
A great writer says, Life is for
ever asking you this question: will
you be adequate?' Admiral Dewey
success was due to the fact that he
was always adequate to the occasion
No matter what came to him, he was
prepared to meet it, because he never
sighted anything, any detail, how
ever small that would leave flaw
in his preparedness.
The world is full of people who
arc anxious to do great things, to
make master strokes-even at great
sacrihcc-which will attract the at.
tention and applause of the world
But they despise the little things
They have no patience with details
they bore them, and they will not
take pains to study and adjust them
to their proper places. And so when
a great thing comes along they are
totally untitled to handle it, to cope
with its innumerable problems and
details. Opportunity passes them by
because they are not prepared for it
These people seem to forget that
it is the doing of the little things as
we'll as they can be done-industri-
ously, patiently, faithfully; the care
ful attention to detail, routine and
discipline, that give the training and
the power necessary to do the great
thing.
1t was the faithful attention to lit
tie things for over half a century that
made Won Moltke capable of doing
the first great thing that ever came
to him. 1t was the faithful attention
to the little things for over half a
lifetime that made the great thing
possible to Farragut at Mobile Bay
1t was the same thoroughness and
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