Show LOOKING AFTER THE HEROES idealism must be maintained those characters of history that are more or less enveloped in the mhd apocryphal past but are still connected with something heroic must toe be kept in existence a according C to the arguments which are now being made perhaps this is not when considered as a whole a bad thing either since great or worthy deeds that were actually performed but in the misty depths of antiquity might thus be excluded from the pale of credulity after a great lapse of time during which records have undergone mutation where there were any records it is difficult sometimes to determine where facts leave off and fiction begins and it may be better to preserve something that never occurred if its tendencies be to incite to healthful emulation than to let it go 90 altogether take taip for Instance the patriotic virtuous impulses imparted by the story of wiliam tell yet a g great reat many of our analytical historians regard him as the merest myth one of the champions of the doubtful but honorable characters of the past Is colliers weekly it holds that amid the era em of heroism we have been passing through the very existence of a cherished character of the american revolution molly pitcher is assal assailed led childe harold predicted that an age that doubts troy may one day clay doubt even rome itself the american veo people are not prepared to give up captain molly pitcher and her part in that glorious day at monmouth mental anguish has been endured when proofs were offered that homar never lived and several times rejoiced at his rescue from oblivion by the sheer force of some intellectual giant high as an napoleon bonaparte rose we have seen that archbishop whately was able to logically disprove his very existence thai that sort of thing may be tolerated in europe but it will not do here the weekly grows rapturous over hollys exploits and then switches off to hobson and the men who assis assisted him in the merrimac Merr imae episode regard ing which some very verv thoughtful and appropriate words are said a portion of which are here reproduced much as every american admires the heroism and patriotism of hobson there will be those who doubt the wisdom of putting a ship in charge of a man who has never served as executive or navigating officer the fact that hobson was competent and brave enough to run the merrimac into the narrow channel at santiago de cuba does not prove conclusively it will be argued that he would be able to extricate his ship from a lee shore in a gale of wind that to is all very well but hobson is of the stuff from which co commanders mm anders are made resource daring and professional skill heubi he unquestionably possesses and his accession to the line will be a great acquisition to it at present the staff has the hero of the hour in the person of hobson the line mall ma truthfully ully assert that four thousand men on the fleet beet were anxious to undertake the perilous duty but the stubborn tact fact remains that a man from the stair staff originated and executed the work hall then to the eight heroes herdes says the weekly and the news concurs and may their authenticity and that of their achievement never beco meat all questionable in this connection the name of one who has been slighted nearly every time the men are named properly occurs it to is coxswain clausen the stowaway who violated the rules in order to make sure of being one of the party his to Is a peculiar case he is denied a record because he acted without orders and thereby subjected himself to punishment i ent instead of reward notwithstanding this the people have acquitted him in advance not only this but given him a place alongside the others where properly he belongs the authorities have as yet taken no steps looking to a 11 court martial for him and it will be just as well if they n never ever do take tak e them no doubt |