'I
k
u
NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
W. VT. SANDKK3, Publisher.
NEMAHA. NEBRASKA.
CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAYS.
Jl'rotly CiiHtonia 'Xhnt Hrlng Joy to tho
I.lttlo Ones.
Grown people do not ulwnys appre
ciate what an event a birthday is In a
hild's life. Next to ClirlHtmas It Is the
red letter day of the year. A whole year
nearer man's or woman'; cstnte ineuiiB
a great deal to a child, and fills the boy
or girl with an added dignity and sense
of importanee. Seveu is so very much
older than six!
In some households this perfectly
natural delight is increased by the
hearty sympathy of the parents. Hut
-there are other homes in which the all
important tiny passes unnoticed save
by a careless mention, a mere reminder
to the child that he has begun another
.year, and this remark may possibly be
seasoned with the bitter sauce of a sug
gestion to an improvement In conduct.
Not long since my heart was moved to
pity by tnlkiug to 11 clever little boy,
who told me that he waseightycarsold
-on that day.
"And what presents have you re
ceived V" 1 asked.
He looked surprised.
"Oh, we don't keep birthdays at our
"house!" he replied. "My mother says
at's foolish. Then she forgot that 1 am
eight to-day until brenkfast time this
anorning."
The more fortunate six-year-old at my
isidu interrupted before I could cheek
Lhim.
"Forgot!" he exclaimed. "Why, my
birthday came a little while ago, and my
inainina made me a cake with six can
idles on it, and 1 had presents ami lota
.of fun!"
Childhood is so brief, and tho time
when each recurring birthday is not a
joy comes so soon that it is a pity not to
anakc the anniversaries joyous to the
Jittle ones.
"Mamma,' said one rapturous child,
""you must be very glad I was born, be
cause you have given me such abeauti
rtul birthday!"
Of course "mamma" was glad, and be
ing glad, why not show it? A child is
never spoiled by the consciousness of a
mother's love and delight in his exlst
enee. A pretty custom is in vogue in some
families. The child whose birthday is
celebrated gives to eacli brother and sis
Iter some little token. It may be only
ran inexpensive toy, but it inculcates in
the doner's heart the spirit of unselfish
mess, and tenches him the joy of giving
ns well ns that of receiving. Harper's
TJazar.
STERN REALITIES OF WAR.
Frightful DniiRors Tliut Duset a I.louten
unt'M Path.
Dramatis Personne A societj' de
'butante and a piebe lieutenant in the
Jinny.
Scene A deep window seat; ballroom
,in the distance.
She (admiringly) You really lead n
very dangerous life, then?
He On my honor, 1 assure you.
"Vet you bear no wounds?"
"I urn, like a true soldier, too modest
to show them. Hut if you knew all '
"Indeed! It must be terrible, then.
And was itdangerous at West Point?"
"Dangerous? Well, I guess it was.
There is no experience a young ofllcer
,has that is more trying than that. Why,
Jill the pretty girls in the country go
there to get married and the engage
ment is on all along the line. Many a,
brave fellow has been captured there.
And you've got to fight it out on that
,line if it takes all summer and all win
ter, too."
"Hut in the army proper it is not so
"bad there, is it?"
"Not so bad? Ten times worse. You
just ought to see some of our poor boys
trying to dodge their captain's daugh
ters! Eleven-inch shells from rifled
guns are not in it with them. There is
no service in the world that compares
'with them in dangers of that sort. Why,
in European armies they won't let a fel
ilow marry without the government's
permission. With us it is different. We
are permitted to run all sorts of risks.
The wonder to me is that more of our
mien are not captured."
"Dear me,( is it as bad as that in the
eastern posts?"
'Must, as bad. Why, on one occasion,
when my left flank was turned, I found
myself engaged to 12 'different girls and
was about to capitulate horse, foot and
airtillery to the unlucky 13th, when the
.government took pity on me and sent
me out to tight Indians. That was all
that saved me!"
"Hut can't you get retired?"
(Sadly) "No the fact is, Gen. Miles
thinks I'm too tired already."
"Poor fellow!" Truth.
A IteilouiuliiR l'oiituro,
Plankington I hear you have been
liming trouble with the cellar of your
,iu w house.
Von Hlumer Yes. Hut every misfor
tune has its compensation.
Plankington -How's that?
Aroi Hlumer I learned how to swim.
Truth.
What is fanaticism to-day is the
fashionable creed to-morrow, and trite
as the multiplication table a week nftcr
-weuueu i'liilllp3.
FIGHTING mil IfllEEJDOM.
Tho Cretan Strugprlo for Llborty
and Iudopondonoo.
Heroism n.npliiycd hy tho Poorly-frit
Patriots of tho Inland of Croto Turkish
Cruelty (liven Ileiiinvml Strength
to Their Cuuxo.
Special Letter.
Recently tho cable brought tho ter
rible news that in Canea, the principal
city of tho Island of Crete, 1,000 persons
had been massacred by Turkish troops.
Five hundred women and children es
caped from tho infuriated mercenaries
of the sultan by seeking refuge in the
Christian churches, where they would
have starved to death had not tho Eng
lish and French warships stationed in
the harbor come to their rescue and
furnished them with the necessities of
life. All the bodies of the slain were
mutilated, and in many instances the
eyes of the victims had been gouged
out. And all this in the face of the fact
that six great powers Russia, Ger
mtuiy, Great Hrltnin, France, Italy and
Austrin-Hungary arc pledged to pro
tect the porte's Christian subjects.
The Turkish government excuses the
horrible crime on the protest that the
Cretans are in revolt against the pad
ishah, that 15,000 armed patriots are
fighting to overthrow the Mussulman
domination established in 10G9, and
that they have been guilty of murder
ing Turkish troops in cold blood. While
it is trtie that the Cretans are endenv
orlng to secure freedom, the chnrge
that they have been guilty of anything
like tho atrocities committed by their
taskmasters is absolutely silly. The
natives of Crete love liberty, arc re
markable for their agility, activity and
swiftness, noted for daring and brav
ery, am by some reputed to be vindic
tive, but they are not cruel. Whenever
the patriots have met their opponents
on the Held of battle they have treated
them fairly, and the Turkish gov
ernor hos been unable to prove a single
case of bnrbnrlty against them.
The Cretan is n classic people. His
tory tells us that the island of Crete,
or Candia, which forms the southern
limit of the Grecian archipelago, was
anciently settled by colonists from the
Phoenicians, Pelasgians and Dorians,
and fuble has it that it was first gov
erned by Minos, whose laws are fa
miliar to every student of Greek lltern-
r ' ' ihhs i
A STREET SCIC.'rc IN CANEA.
ture. He was succeeded by a line of
chiefs famed for wisdom ami liberality,
and they in turn gave place to a semi
republican form of government, which
continued until 07 H. C. when the ibland
became part of the Roman empire.
In the partition of the dominions of
Rome Crete fell to the Ryznntine, or
Eastern, empire, by which it was held
until A. D. 82.'!, when it was conquered
by tho Snracencs. These daring sol
diers held possession until tho tenth
century, when the island became a
Genoese province. From the Genoese
it passed by gift to the marquis of
Montferrat, who sold it to the Vene
tians in 1204. Venice, then in the height
of her glory, held it for four centuries,
in the course of which Crete developed
into one of tle most prosperous and
wealthy states in Europe. After a
terrille struggle, which lasted 21
years, and in which a number of Ital
ian states took active part, thu country
was wrested from thu Venetians by the
Turks, and made a Turkish province in
1000.
The natives were oppressed by their
onqticrors and the numerous Indus
.Tries established under the mild Vene
tian rule were taxed out of existence.
From being the most aflliient people in
the Greek archipelago the Cretans be
came the pool est. Hut persecution did
not extinguish their national pride, nor
did wanton cruelty succeed In compell
ing thun to renounce the Christian re
ligion. The fire of hope burned in their
hearts, and :cores of revolutions at
test th.it they preferred death to slav
ery. Inl821,nndugainin 1S41, popular In
surrections taxed all the resources of the
Turkish government. In both Instances
the patriots were defeated only after
fierce struggles, but after the con
quest the hand of the oppressor resied
upon them heavier than ever. In 1S42
the sultan placed such unjust restric
tions on the commeicc of the island
that the few industries which had sur
vived the discriminations of years were
completely paralyzed. In 1838 another
insurrection marked the history of tho
Island. It was under the leadership of
remarkably able men and conducted
with such skill that the sultan granted
many of tho requests made by the pa
triots. Hut tho concessions then mado
on paper were never carried out, and tho
deceived patriots inaugurated another
revolt in 1SCG and demanded annexation
td Greece. They were compelled to
submit in 1SG9, without obtaining any
relief. Since 180!) n part of the popula
tion has been in constant revolt ; but
not until the beginning of the present
yenr did the uprising assume propor
tions of such magnitude that tho
Turkish war olllce hnd to send special
troops to Canea null other strategic
points.
Nothing could give the render it mora
comprehensive idea of the misgovern
incut of the Turks than a mere state
ment of the fact that the population
of Crete, which vwts 500,000 when tho
Venetians lost control of thu Island,
had fallen to 210,000 in 1S70, and to 200,
000 in 1S00.
The massacre nt Canea is seriously
embarrassing the government of Greece.
The Cretans have always had the sym
pathy of the people of the Hellenic
spites, and several times the royal
treasury at Athens has been compelled,
by popular clamor, to assist the rebel
lious islanders with cash and provi
sions. The present premier of Greece,
M. tDelynnnis, is trying very hard to
continue a policy of neutrality in tha
Cretan question, but the chances are
that, unless Turkey is willing to inako
far-reaching concessions, he will bo
forced to recede from his position,
There is no doubt that the porte will
no longer be averse to granting partial
self-government to Crete, but the pa
triots have been deceived so often by
their oppressors that reforms which
would have been hailed with delight a
few years ago arc no longer attractive.
Like the Cubans, they arc fighting for
complete independence and eventual
annexation to Greece.
Should the Athens government con
clude to comply with the popular de
mand and Interfero In favor of the pa
triots, Turkey would hnve to give' up
the struggle, for although the Greeks
are poor, they tire rich when compared
with the Turks. King George, who is
under tho influence of the Russian for
eign office, seems determined, how-
e.-er, not to risk anything that might
compromise his kingdom and the sta
bility of his shaky throne.
The other European powers arc un
willing to do anything for the patriot1)
because the time for the division of Eu
ropean Turkey has, in the opinion ot
their diplomats, not. yet arrived. And
until the advent of thai time the Chris
tian subjects of the sultan will continue
to bi murdered in colli blood in spite of
the protests of the people of every civ
ilized nation. In thu game of interna
tional polities, us played by the alleged
statesmen of to-day, tho promise of
spoils to come is a nioro potent factor
than the blood of martyrs and the hon
or of heroic women.
Hut whatever the diplomats may say
or do, the poorly-fed, shabbily-clad pa
triots of Crete will continue tho holy
warfare against their Mohammedan op
pressors. And the same can be said of
the heroes of Macedonia who are even
now driving the sultan's troops out of
the land of Alexander the Great.
In itself the war in Crete is of trifling
interest to tho people of America, but
as it may, any day, lead to a general Eu
ropean misunderstanding it is well to
be familiar with the events which led up
to the massacre at Canea. The sympa
thies of the American nation are with
the brave patriots who, like their fa
thers and grandfathers before them,
know how to die for liberty and lofty
principles; who, to accomplish a great
end, are not tempted by gold or prom
ises or preferment; who cry out to all
the world the words of Patrick Henry:
"Give us liberty or give us death." Tho
efforts of such men are worthy of our
serious consideration and should havu
the prayers of Christian men and wom
en everywhere.
O. W. WEIPPIEUT.
Give what you have. To som it
may be better than you dare to think.
Longfellow.
BKADD0CK IN HISTORY.
Tho Brltioh Gonoral Was a Bravo
and Daring Soldlor.
YVitfthluj-ton lllmnntf Tried tit Dlnnhtinn
thu Pioplo or JIU J)uy or It
1'roJitdU'o ARnliiNt tho Uit-
rortiiuuto C'lilnftiilu.
Special Washington Letter.!
Rhythmic rhymsters are not poets.
Makers of verses are as numerous ns tho
Rtars. Only tin philosophers of scho
lastic instinct and breeding can make
rhymes which last throughout the ages.
It was the philosophic, pedantic,
nervous, (scholarly and learned Longfel
low who said that:
"Wo can innlto our lives sublime;
And, departing, leave behind ua
Footprints In the sands of time."
There are footprint all along the
beach of history. Tho waves may swell,
the turf may beat, and the breakers
may bcoUI and storm, but the footprints
made by some men will last forever.
No political or scholastic seismic dis
turbance can wipe out the footprints of
Confucius, Zoroaster, Caesar, Crom
well, Washington or Lincoln. Their
footprints will last forever.
You all have rend of Hraddoek nnd hin
alleged vainglorious elVort to conduct
an Indian campaign. Writers glorify
ing Washington have minimized Rrnd
dock, one of the greatest military minds
of his age. It is not true that he
inarched against the Indians with the
expectation of chasing them like rab
bits. Tluit story originated with
friends of Washington, and If he were
hero he would repudiate the story.
Hraddoek knew that ho was marching
into a hostile country, and would hnve
to compete with savages whose meth
ods were new to him. He realized be
fore ho left England that he had a ter
rible and dangerous campaign before
him. Hut he win a soldier and marched
along the pathway of duty until lie fell
upon the Held of noble, honorable bat
tle. George Anne Hellamy, one of the
most gifted actresses in England, pub
lished two books in 1785, which showed
something about Gen. Hrnddock's life
which all the people should know. As
the reputed wife of .JohnCnlcraft.M.P.,
she secured for him the agencies of pay
masterr.hips of no lens than a dozen
regimental conimnnders in the Hritish
army, among thorn that of Gen. Hrad
doek, thus multiplying Calcraft's in
come to a princely figure. On pa go 11)3
of volume 2 Miss Hellamy says:
"Gen. Hraddoek, to whom I hnd been
known from my Infancy, anil who was
particularly fond of me, was about this
period appointed to go to America.
From our intimacy he gave mo his
agency without my applying for it.
While he was making the necessary
preparations for his voyage he was
more frequently than usual at our
house. The evening before his depart
ure he supped with me, accompanied by
his two aides-de-camp, Maj. Burton
(who had just lost his much loved
wife and my darling friend), and
Capt. Ormc. Hefore we parted the
general told me he should never seo mo
more, for he was going with a handful
of men to conquer whole nations, and to
do tills they musteuttheirway through
lJUADDOCIv'S HOCK.
unknown woods. He produced a map
of the country, saying at the same time:
'We are sent like sacrifices to thenltar.'
The event of the expedition too fatally
verified the general's expectations. On
going awny he put into my hands a pa
per, which proved to be his will."
This will was drawn up in favor of
John Calcraft, to whom it bequeathed
property valued at $:t5,000. On page G5
of volumes the nctrosa nnrrates further,
after referring to the news ot Hrad
doek's death:
"A demand was made from the treas
ury for the government plate left us by
the lute unfortunate Gen. Hraddoek.
The demand was rejected, upon which
a suit was commenced. Hut that fall
ing we were left in possession of the
royal donation, and the lions, unicorns
and hares made their appearance at our
table."
Gen. Hraddoek knew that he vyn not
undertaking a holiday excursion, but
must "cut his way through unknown
woods" for thu purpose of conquering
"wholu nations;" thereby showing
that lie did not underrate the savage
bands in tho new world. Tie was a
bravu and worthy soldier who has not
yet secured his proper place in history.
I was reminded of Hrnddock's march
nnd the disastrous termination of his
efforts by being led to-day to an his
toric stone near the bank of the Poto
mac by nn old resident who showed me
Hraddoek's rock-.
if Edward Hraddoek, generalissimo
of Ills Hritish majesty'n forces In
ica, were to revisit this earthly.
nnd observe Hint the lonely si.
which he disembnrked in 1755 trs.
Ills lll-stnrrctl expedition again.'
Diiqucsne is now the gcogrnphlt,r '
ter of the national American -1
bearing the name of his once linages
plde-dc-camp, George Washlngttih ex
would doubtless exclaim, as ho Vn.r
claimed regarding his disastrous ir
feat nenr Pittsburgh: "Who wotnu
have thought it?"
Probably nobody would, for the co
incidence is too extraordinary; but
such is the irony of fate, tho fact is
even thus. The ground whereon Hrad
doek first net foot is practically the key
to the oltj of Washington, almost equi
distant from either end of it nnd afford
ing to an invading forcu the readleat
approach by water.
At that time, at tho opening of tho
French nnd Indian war. nnd for half a
URADDOCK'S HEADQUARTERS AT
ALEXANDRIA. VA.
century afterward, there was no city of
Washington. Tho country hereabouts
was n comparative wilderness. George
Washington was but a stripling
colonel in thu Virginia nillltln. No
ono dreamed of independence of tho
Hritish crown, and all ot the English
colonics were bracing themselves to
resist the encroachments of the French.
Alexandria, then a colonial village
eight miles down the Virginia side of
the Potomac, was the recruiting point
of Hrnddook'H army. Thither his Jlttlo
fleet of two warships and half a dozen
transports, under Commodoru Kcppel,
had proceeded from Hampton with two
regiments of COO men each, to be aug
mented Inter by 400 Virginia troops.
Hraddoek, himself, with Ills own per
sonal retinue, got separated from tha
remainder of ids party and landed on
this side of the river opposite Auolostati
island, at what is now at the foot ot
Twenty-fourth street northwest, then
u stretch of woods. Hrnddock's vessel
was drawn close up to shore nnd
moored to a big bowlder protruding
from tho bank, upon which, us wu can
imnginu, he stamped his booted fuct
and struck a. dramatic attitude in dis
embarking. The bowlder has ever since been
known, to those who hnve known of it
at all, as "Hrnddock's rock," and to thia
day It Is still Intnctand unmolested by
stone cipher or reliu hunter. It is not
deemed of any account in history,
though If Hrnddock's expedition against
Duqticsno had been successful this un
pretentious bowlder might now be erf
teemed as another Plymouth Rock,
famous for the lauding of the Pil
grims. Hraddoek would doubtless
have won for himself not only the fame
that fell to Gen. Forbes and to Gen.
Amherst for the capture of Grown
Point and Tlconderoga, but also that
which Gen. Wolfe secured in 1759 by hla
success at Quebec, all resulting in the
relinquishment of French authority on
the American continent. Hraddoek
would probably now be revered as one
of tho prinio early heroes of this west
ern world nnd the course of his entiru
progress would liu accounted ns paths
of glory. Hut the unfortunate acci
dent of defeat has changed all of that.
Since success is tlie only standard of
merit and achievement, the world de
lights not to tread in the footsteps of
failure.
After ull Is wild thu truth of the mat
ter seems to bo that Hraddoek, indisput
ably a brave soldier, was only too con
scious of tho diflloulty and doubtful re
sult of his enterprise, but that, having
once set upon it, he determined to grim
ly discharge his task to the end with tho
most cheerful show possible. It is no
derogation to his generalship thnt ho
should hnve been unfitted by tempera
ment and training to cope with treach
erous savages and painted devils lurk
ing in ambush. Instead of having been
a boastful and vainglorious cockney, ns
the schoolboy of to-day 1b taught to con
celve him, ho only nppeara to have beon
too proud to show by look or sign hit)
own conviction of the hopelessness of
his undertaking. Even Irving admitii
that he was a stranger to fear. Irvlrg
then adds beautifully and moat appro
priately: "Reproach spared him not, even in his
grave. The failure of the expedition,
was attributed both In England nnd in
America to his obstinacy, his technical
pedantry and his military system. Hut
whatever may have been his faults and
errors, iio in u manner expiated them by
the hardest lot that can befall a bravo
soldier ambitious of renown an un-
honored grave in a strange land, a mem
ory clouded by misfortune and a nameJ
forever coupled with defeat."
SMITH D. FRY.
llu is good that does good to others
Uruyere,