Evening star., 1927-11-05

The loss Of the Italian liner Princess
Mafalda off the coast of South Amer.
lea and the rescue of hundreds of pas
sengers have inspired tributes to the
captain who went down with his ship
and members OF the crew for the
bravery and sacrifice displayed. At.
tention again Is directed to the value
Of radio as a means Of saving human
life, the prompt response of rescue
ships in this case being contrasted
with the uncertainties of ocean traffic
in an earlier period.
"a fine and deeply planted spirit of
brotherhood among those who go
down TO the sea in ships" is empha-
sized by the st. Louis Times, which
recalls that following the radio call
1--WE speeding steamers. which heard
and responded TO that cry out of the
dark for aid. were alongside before it
was too late, and were able to rescue
from the ocean no fewer than - per
cent of the 1908 souls aboard the
ship" Reviewing the care given to
"the salvaged human freight" and
the search at the scene of the wreck
by two remaining rescue ships, the
Times concludes: "Such things are of
the fine traditions of salt water. They
are the spontaneous response or gen
erous hearts to the call of helpless
humanity for succor. They are part
of the nobility Of the seyen seas"
TT In this self.sacrifining courage
that is almost invariably present in
hours of great peril that is the re-
deeming feature OF the race says
the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. and the
Spokane Spokesma n Review. declar-
ing that these incidents refresh the
worlds faith in human nature, fceis
that ''in contemplation of such sac
rifices as attended this disaster or the
sea. man Ia touched by the better
angels Of his nature Without dan
ger" continues the Spokesman-R
view. 1--WE should not have known
that there IL such a virtue as cour-
age. and without courage there could
he no conservation to perilous service
and the progress of civilization
""Tha CAPTAIN went down with his
shin Useless, you say?" asks the
Fort Worth Record Telegram. We
wonder if 1t is. What price is TOO
much to pay for code OF ethicsI May
men qualify as men who have no coue
that equals In demands for steadfast-
ness of purpose the responsibility for
human lives" The Record-Telegram
feels that "life would be a cheap and
tawdry thing IL we began to value 1t
so highly that we would not risk 1t In
the name of duty" and IL convinced
that "sea captains who go down with
their ships are worth more to the
world than all who live and contribute
admonition."
The Kansas City Journal Is i'm
pressed by the fact that the captain
and his crew. by maintaining the best
traditions of the sea, demonstrated
the course and skill which are cosmo-
politan and which glorify our univer'
sal humanity" The Texarkana Ca
gette records that while much OF the
romance OF the sea has been lost with
the disappearance Of the four-mast
craft" ii is true that "the men who
sail the seas now are as brave as any
who have gone before"
The part which the use OF the radio
played in the saving OF passengers Is
accepted as new evidence of the out
standing value Of that invention. With
a tribute to this development OF sci
ence, the Rochester Times Union com
pares the wreck with that OF the Ii
tanic. when wireless communication
was in its infancy and no nearby ves-
sei picked up the distress signals" The
Huntington Advertiser remarks that
"it would be difficult to determine the
greatest invention in the past third of
a century. but unquestonably with
those who go down to the sea in
ships the radio outranks them all.
:, Radio is the greatest blessing
OF all time to those engaged in mari
time travel and commerce."
The variety OF nationalities repre-.
sented I'm the response to the sos
and their service are noted by the
New Orleans Item, which adds:
These circumstances are another
striking testimonial to The expanding