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Show ADMIRAL DEWEY AND THE MOB Never was better instance of the fickleness of the mob than that which characterized these who contributed to the fund for Admiral Dewey's house, when that distinguished gentleman saw-fit saw-fit to perform a graceful act and present pre-sent the house in question to his bride. George Elliot long ago said that to win popular favor and maintain it with the mob, one must stoop to satisfy the longings of the lowest and the most, contemptible creature of those, who con. stitute the mob Nothing is indeed truer than this sayingr and Admiral Dewey, who has shown himself to be a noble and generous spirit, could hardly expect ex-pect to carry himself in a manner satisfactory sat-isfactory to those who lack culture and whose breeding hardly fits them for the association of gentlemen. A gentleman who witnessed the Dewey celebration .in New York commenting com-menting on the scurrilous attacks launched against the great admiral because be-cause he showed himself to his bride as a man of grace and generosity, speaks to the point as follows: "On Sept. 30, when Admiral Dewey rode down Fifth avenue, I turned to some companions on the stand with me and alluding to the frantic excitement excite-ment of the populace, and their adulation adu-lation of the hero, I remarked, 'These same people may be hissing him within with-in two months! They are putting him on a pedestal on which he doesn't wish to stand, and if he makes the slightest mistake, which, as a fallible man, he is in time apt to do, the mob who arc now lauding him will cry "Crucify him!" ' My companions abused me for my remark and said I was unpatriotic. I was not so. No one in the crowd had or still has a higher respect for Admiral Ad-miral Dewey and his achievements than myself. .It is the American public who have a touch of the French in them and who, in their blind hero worship,-. 'slop over' one way or the other w hen they find a ventVr their heroworship Remember Hobson: nd now ?eWey finding the same quick revulsion of public feeling what aftei all was a regrettable but-perhaps natural mistake." mis-take." ' . '-. We quite agree with the above, except ex-cept that we do not see wherein Admiral Admi-ral Dewey made a mistake at all natural nat-ural or otherwise. The New York Journal aptly characterizes charac-terizes this attack on Admiral Dewey as a "disgrace to America," and pays its respects in the following vigorous English to those5 who feel it a part of manhood to insult one of the greatest Americans of his time: The shameful attacks upon Admiral Dewey are properly and nobly resented by him. They are typically ungrateful, and, to the shame of the country be it said, they are typically American. The admiral serves his country well. He adds to the pride and glory of every American. On his return the nation slobbers over him as only this nation can slobber. As quietly and modestly as he served ms country ne enou'co -annoying adulation. , . . He is an old man and lonely. A few cheers from thoughtless- fools in the street do not fill up his life whatever those fools may think. Admiral Dewey, having done his work, marries a good woman of middle age, who has had the good fortune to win the affections of. the best man in the country. Could anything be more respectable or proper? Could the admiral do better than deed to his wife whatever property proper-ty he may possess? Does he not as a husband set an example as good as that which he gave us at Manila, as a sailor? In England a Lord Nelson can recommend rec-ommend to his country's affections a woman of dissolute life without forfeiting forfeit-ing any of his glory or of his country's love. But here our great sailor marries admirably ad-mirably and asks only to be let alone. What happens? Every hysterical female who feels that the admiral 'should have married ! her sots up a fierce screech. Every fool American who would jump if he heard a pop-gun explode begins to criticise him. . What encouragement d'oes such a nannlo t! thic tn faithful Bovine? ....... g,lC l" . .w- . "Help us win our victories, make the flag glorious we'll cheer you for five days, then make your life bitter with insults." On behalf of what is decent and grateful in the American nation, this newspaper wishes to apologize to Admiral Ad-miral Dewey and his wife for the shameful conduct of an ungrateful public. pub-lic. Fortunately, temporary ingratitude cannot dim his achievements. This country, may forget him for a time. , But Spain will not forget him for one second. That is the best proof Of his work. And that will suffice him. |
