The Gavelyte, February 1908

Tl 11,; 1: .\ \ ' 1,; 1,YTI•:. - ·-·- -- ------ -· - -- ---------- prosperity, to keep us loyal to national principles, to meet anrl over– come the internal foeR, economic, social, and political, menacing our free institutions and perpetuity. 1 o greater duty devolves upon us than to support heartily every effort undertaken to punish violators of the law, and denounce every outcry against constituted authority faithfully and honestly endeavoring to enforce principles of justice. Washington was un– deniably needed for the American Revolution, Lincoln to suppress the RebPllinn, and it has been left for thesP latt~r days to produce t,hP hPro of ~an .Juan our 01-..11 Theodore RnoRe\·elt - as the Pm– b,>diment of the patriotism requisite to inrloce emulatint,, cope with pre,:;ent evils, and gaurantee our perpetuity. • To this end, there must ever pe"rmeate the hearts of our entire people that spirit manifested by some of our American sailors several years ago, when, on a man-of-war, they, in company with sailor,- of the German and English nations on their rPSJJPC'live vessels of war, were guarding tile interests of their cnuntry in a lrnrbor of Samoa. Although, on account of differenres exi~ting· betwePn the goyern– ments, thf-- relations between the American sailors and those of the European nations were strained, nev_ertheles their feelin-gs were 1rnppressed, and all went seemin~ly well, until one day, towards even– ing, a fearful storm, ;;o characteristic of the South :'ea.s, swt>pt over the i:;;lanct anrl through the harbour, driving the Amerira11 man-of-wa1' from hPr moorings out into a tempestuous sea, where the currents, eizing upon her, irresistibly forced her · on to a y·awn– ing vortex. When the American sailors realized their fate, they turned on every light, trimmed every sail, gathered and spread all the bunting on hoard the i::;hip, hoi. ted every flag, aRsembled on the deck nearest the hore, and, as they passed the English and (}errnan men-of-war, though the crews of tho e vessels, 1)Ut of mere_ jealou~y, offered to give no assistance, our brave sailors sang "The Star-';;rrnngled Banner,'' anct went down to watery graves, their last thought and desire being to honor the land they loved best. The patriotism that enablect those noble men thus to close their lives if– the patriotism needed in 1:>v1:-ry Ameriran home, in every legislative h1-dl, and in all the n,Jations anct , eilponsibilitieR of our national lifr.